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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363818">Something Old, Something New</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhhhhhhappycow/pseuds/hhhhhhhappycow'>hhhhhhhappycow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Also the ages of the characters are all whack here, Angst and Humor, Asexual Hinata Shouyou, But a lot of people appear in this, But here I am serving it up hot and fresh anyway, But mostly focusing on friendship and found family, F/M, Gen, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Yachi Hitoka Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is a Good Friend, Hinata has a weak stomach sorry, Hinata is staying at the family villa and gets caught up in the mess, I had to change them for it to work, I mean there is going to be a solid 20 chapters before any kind of plot kicks in, I will be editing and proofreading this at some point I swear, It takes a while to get to the Mamma Mia plotline but stick with me here, M/M, Mamma Mia AU, Not Beta Read, Oikawa is trans, Possibly evil goat, Rather than relationships, Slow Build, So Hinata is older and retired now, So I'm only going to put the main ones in, Sort Of, Tags will be added, Too Many Characters to Tag, Updates every other week or so, Vomiting, Yahaba is getting married and wants to find his father, and a bunch of other ships, and there will be a happy ending, eventual kagehina, nobody asked for this, there is a lot of drinking in this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:28:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>137,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhhhhhhappycow/pseuds/hhhhhhhappycow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata is retired, and he's restless. While traveling and searching for a new adventure beyond volleyball, he ends up staying in a rundown villa owned by Oikawa Tooru and his family; including his son, Shigeru, who is due to be married in the coming months.</p><p>As he grows closer to the family, Hinata also befriends other inhabitants of and visitors to their small island, and helps Shigeru on his quest to uncover the secrets of his own past.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou &amp; Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Yahaba Shigeru, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Past Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru - Relationship, past Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru - Relationship, past Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Hinata Is In The Outhouse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The boat was rocked back and forth by cerulean waves as it journeyed across the sea. Every half hour or so it had passed another island in the scattered archipelago, great saffron cliffs and green thickets trailing by to the left and right, and now its destination drew closer. The pinpoint outcrop grew and stretched across the horizon with each passing minute.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shook his hair out, feeling how windswept it was. Most of the other passengers onboard the small ferry had retreated indoors to avoid the relentless ocean air and the cries of the gulls, but he had remained on deck, clinging to the streaky-painted white handrails, despite the rolling sensation that made him plant his feet more firmly and square his shoulders. It was probably better for him to be out here, given that he’d thrown up the contents of his stomach some hour before. As old as he got, certain things never changed.</p><p> </p><p>The island drew closer. He watched the shadows of the tall cliffs, spotted the bleached walls of houses and sandy beaches. Cars and people came into view, going about their daily lives, unaware that they were getting an addition to their population.</p><p> </p><p>The waves were gentler now, pushing and pulling like a mother tucking in a blanket. The motions were seemingly random, but when he unfocused his gaze he could see the steady patterns there. They draw in closer to the shoreline, the long dock coming into view. There was a grey platform that it jutted out from, some several meters wide, and behind that a small café. Stretching off to the left was miles of beach and different seafront stores and buildings. To the right were steep hills. A tarmac road behind the café ran away through some trees and vanished as it made its way up an incline.</p><p> </p><p>Stuttering slightly as it met the dock, the boat slowed to a halt, and within minutes the passengers were disembarking. Hinata waited towards the back of the sudden crowd that filed onto dry land. By the time he had set foot ashore, there were only a few stragglers remaining, families bickering about which way to go first and lone travelers standing on their phones, perhaps waiting for somebody to meet them.</p><p> </p><p>His legs felt strange on the sturdiness of the concrete, his body automatically attempting to right itself against the now level surface, and he paused for a second.</p><p> </p><p>A teenage girl just to Hinata’s right dropped the handle of her suitcase, letting the whole thing flop into the dirt, as she dashed into the arms of a woman with grey-streaked hair. The woman pressed the girl close to her chest and then scolded her about leaving her bag unattended, muttering a brief “Thank you”, to Hinata when he lifted the bag upright and dragged it across to where they stood.</p><p> </p><p>He shuffled from foot to foot as he watched them walk away, the spotted suitcase trailing across the gravel behind them. Seeing them reminded him of his mother and Natsu, and the days when he first moved to Brazil and would come home to find them waiting at the airport, Natsu clinging to his arm to ask him questions about his time abroad as their mom gently chided them. That was a long time ago. Nowadays when Natsu met him at the airport she was accompanied by her own daughter, who was much shyer than her mother had been, trailing behind the adults when they spoke.</p><p> </p><p>His family hadn’t been surprised, exactly, when he told them he was leaving again, so soon after returning home. But they had been sad. Hinata always loved the comforts of home, yet he had always found home relatively easily around the world, in friendly people and well-cooked meals and the exhaustion of collapsing into a soft bed after the adrenaline that came from playing volleyball worked its way out of his system.</p><p> </p><p>Only now he had stopped volleyball, and the adrenaline still was there. Hinata was retired, and he was restless.</p><p> </p><p>He had considered coaching, and in all truth that was most likely where he would end up. Perhaps he would be good at it. Instinct might not be something you can teach, but you can certainly spot talent and help people to hone their instincts, drilling it into them. That was the way he had learned, after all. </p><p> </p><p>First, though, he wanted to clear his head. Accept that his time no longer revolved around playing the sport that he had spent most of his life so far breathing.</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata started and blinked.</p><p> </p><p>A boy, probably little older than eighteen, with a shaved head, was staring at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>As his new landlord had promised, somebody had been waiting to greet him and bring him back to the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Watari Shinji was a friendly young man, which was no surprise given that, as he informed Hinata, his main role at the villa was shepherding tourists around the island.</p><p> </p><p>“Although I don’t actually work there, not really. I’ve just known Oikawa and his family since I was a little kid. His son is my best friend.”</p><p> </p><p>He had a laidback attitude, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he languidly glanced up and down the empty road before pulling out of the layby his van had been parked in.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not too far from here. There are two minivans, so we run the pickup and drop off as a complimentary service for our guests with this one while the bigger one is for any kind of tours we take the guests on.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt ridiculously like a kid being driven to school on his first day, his backpack sitting on his lap and his smallest suitcase down at his feet.</p><p> </p><p>They drove through the thicket of trees Hinata had seen earlier and along a winding road, the path weaving back and forth.</p><p> </p><p>“You know”, Watari said, glancing at his passenger from the corner of his eye, “Oikawa told me you were retired. I was expecting someone older.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed, his arms tightening slightly around his rucksack. “I am retired.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari peered at him from the side of his eye again.</p><p> </p><p>“I was an athlete. I’m thirty-four now. Just retired.” Hinata probably could have kept going for a few more years, but he had collected a few minor injuries and he knew when to bow out gracefully before experiencing a more serious one. It had not been an easy decision but getting out with his body intact had seemed a good idea. It hadn't been an easy decision: He had lost sleep and gone back and forth multiple times on it. Yet, in the end, he was certain it had been the right one. </p><p> </p><p>They broke free of the trees and it took Hinata a moment to realize they were driving along the coast; on his right was the same sea he had crossed mere minutes ago. The crescent moon shape of the bay meant he could see all the way back to the dock, in the center of the crescent, if he craned his neck. Further back, the main town was just visible, houses now simply small dots behind a strip of sand.</p><p> </p><p>Watari had fallen silent. Hinata could already tell he wasn’t one to pry, which he appreciated.</p><p> </p><p>He shuffled in his seat, picking at his shorts to get comfortable. How long was this drive going to be? They had only been going for a few minutes and it already felt like they had covered a quarter of the island.</p><p> </p><p>They diverted slightly away from the coast, rolling up to the bottom of a steep hill. Planted at the foot was a large sign, with writing in both Japanese and English. A largescale version of the advertisement he saw in the magazine, the one that brought him here. The guy in the photo was grinning a cheesy grin, fluffy brown hair soft and dark eyes sharp.</p><p> </p><p>Watari laughed. “Yeah, Oikawa put those up because he wanted to draw in more clientele. He spent a ton on advertising.”</p><p> </p><p>As they began their slow ascent, Hinata looked out of the side window. Houses and estates were dappled across the fields, further inland than the forest. Many seemed ancient; traditional, simple wooden structures. Others were all reflective glass and modern designs.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had been to many places in the world, and no two places, not even neighboring towns, were ever quite the same. Yet he could always find echoes of the places he had been in the unfamiliar. It was comforting, in a way. This landscape reminded him of certain more rural areas of Brazil; not the foliage or the architecture, and even the weather seemed different here. But the mix of nature and modernity, old and new- or new built upon the old- was almost the same.</p><p> </p><p>They had almost reached the top of the hill, and Hinata saw several stone buildings stretching out before them, all centered around a mini courtyard. Crumbling stone walls lined their path. A group of cats was sunning themselves on one particular segment at the zenith of the hill. That’s good, he thought. He liked cats.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The car drew to a halt and the awful crunching sound of tires over gravel fell silent.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked, trying to take in and learn as much of the villa as possible. The building they had stopped in front of was stone, so unlike the other houses nearby. Its walls were chipped and cracked and bleached by the sun, and it seemed to almost be growing out of the cliffside with the long grass that covered its base, partially submerged in the region of forest behind it like a moss-covered grave.</p><p> </p><p>Watari had grabbed Hinata’s other bags from the back of the truck before Hinata could even begin to move.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, I’ve got it!”, he protested, swinging his legs from the truck and dashing around to pull them towards himself. “Thank you, but I can carry them.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari gave him a moment to pull his backpack on and sling the sports bag over his shoulder. Then they trudged towards the steps of what Hinata assumed was the main building.</p><p> </p><p>When they walked, Hinata’s suitcase bumping against his calves, he could see several other buildings were dotted to the side of and slightly behind this big building: There was a bungalow that stretched long and low, and a few small shed-like buildings half-hidden among trees. Could one of those be his? </p><p> </p><p>They stopped at the bottom of the small set of stone steps.</p><p> </p><p>Watari smiled. “Stay here. I’ll go tell Oikawa you’re here.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Hinata could respond, he had bounded up the steps and through the heavy wooden double doors. Hinata shuffled from foot to foot, rearranging his bag on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>In the distance, birds were calling softly. Otherwise, the world stood silent.</p><p> </p><p>Movement caught his eye. A man was leaning casually against a wall, looking at something off to the side. He had tanned skin and light brown hair, a tuft of which stuck up right at the front. He kept his slender arms wrapped about his own body.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata attempted to catch his gaze unsuccessfully. The man kept his eyes ahead, apparently watching something. Hinata turned his head, trying to see what was so interesting and at the same time appear casual, but he couldn’t spot anything except for the courtyard and the shrubbery beyond.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of pots and pans clanging made both Hinata and the man leap to attention.</p><p> </p><p>A raised voice called from within the villa; “Yamaguchi, if you’re going to keep hanging around here, at least make yourself useful and show my guest to his room.”</p><p> </p><p>The man’s limbs knocked together awkwardly as he straightened up, pushing off of the surface he leaned against. “W- Where is-?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s in the outhouse”, the unseen speaker replied nonchalantly. “Bottom floor only, the roof is still leaking. <em>Someone</em> was supposed to have fixed that.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll get to it!”, another voice barked, making Yamaguchi jump again and Hinata stifle a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata followed obediently, his cases still knocking his legs awkwardly as he stepped unevenly over the dirt gravel of the drive up to the front of the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi led him across the empty courtyard, which was slightly more even. Different colored stones like mosaic tiles were embedded into the dirt, shining maroon and velvety green in the brilliant sunlight.</p><p> </p><p>“This courtyard is like the heart of the villa. Well, the heart of the island, is what we always-”, Yamaguchi began, and then broke off, stopping in his tracks. “Are you okay? Do you need a hand?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hefted his bags higher and flashed a determined grin. “I’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you’re sure.” The guy shrugged, and then continued walking. “My name is Yamaguchi Tadashi. In case you hadn't guessed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m Hinata. Hinata Shouyou.” They walked a few steps in comfortable silence. “So, do you work here or live near here or?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I- I work in town. And I live in town, too. I just like hanging around the hotel and seeing all the tourists come in.” He squinted at Hinata from dark eyes, now narrowed so that they were almost triangular. “You don’t seem like a tourist, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think I am. I mean, I’m only here for a little while.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi seemed not to have heard the last part: His eyes had blown wide and his feet had fallen still. Hinata stopped beside him and followed his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>The courtyard dropped off and became a raw cliff edge. It was not so steep that Hinata thought he would have fallen off; instead it rolled down, with various ledges and nooks, until it reached the deep blue of the water below. But it was an exposed edge, rough stones jutting out and little signs of any vegetation on the ledges. Before it dropped off completely several stone steps ran down to a wide outcrop, just a few feet below the level of the rest of the villa, where a wooden hut was perched. The steps seemed to run around the back of the hut and, Hinata imagined, must have descended further down the sloping cliff. A small gate at the top of the steps read that guests were strictly forbidden beyond this point.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, here you are.” Yamaguchi gestured with one hand after a moment. “This is the outhouse.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>His heart worked a little harder as he followed Yamaguchi down the steps, feeling his feet catch on the uneven ground around the entrance. The hut was fairly large, two levels, but it gave the appearance of being cramped, as if it had all been squeezed into one minuscule space.</p><p> </p><p>“I think they mostly keep tools and stuff out here. I don’t know why Oikawa is offering to rent it out all of a sudden. So I’m not sure what condition it’ll be in… Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright.” Hinata smiled and wiped at his brow. “I’ll be fine from here. Thank you for helping me! This place looks really cool, I’m sure I’ll settle in right away!”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand. “If you’re sure…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bowed and watched as Yamaguchi scurried back up the steps, shooing aside a large brown goat that seemed to appear from nowhere, and shut the gate behind him. He turned back to his new abode.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t too small, not really. There were two floors, but both of those must have had low-hanging ceilings for the height of the shack. Not that Hinata needed a high ceiling, in truth.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere to his back the goat bleated.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitantly pushed on the door and it opened smoothly. No lock, he noted.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, it remind him of the old curiosity shops of fake antiques and day markets that he sometimes saw in Brazil. It was clear that an effort had been made to clean, but everything that had been cleaned had been shoved in boxes and piles around the edges of the small room, books and clothes and various trinkets and toys.</p><p> </p><p>The space itself was long and rectangular, longer than it seemed to be from the exterior. The main room had an old-fashioned tv up against one wall below a window, the wooden panes of which seemed rickety and were held together by a rusted latch. In the center of the room was a graying rug, a small square table situated above it, and a dusty looking sofa pressed up against the longest wall.</p><p> </p><p>A curtain rod ran across the ceiling halfway through the room, and Hinata saw that there were beads hanging down at one end that could be pulled across to divide the living space from the bedroom. Just beside the end of the sofa, before the curtain rod, the wall was set back, and a set of rickety spiral stairs led up into the roof.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘bedroom’ itself was rather bare. It consisted of a chest of drawers, barely waist height even on Hinata, a decently sized bed, and a single chair on the opposite side of the bed from the drawers, wedged in against the wall.</p><p> </p><p>Not bad, really.</p><p> </p><p>He stepped inside. If he were much taller, he would probably have to crouch. He kicked off his shoes. A pair of slippers sat by the door and, after an experimental pat, he slipped them on. They weren’t as dusty as the rest of the room; Oikawa must have left them for him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuffled his way in and coughed a little at the stale air before putting his bags on the sofa and opening the window. It opened with the kind of creak you heard in old horror movies, and one half hung slightly on its hinges. He did his best to be careful as he leaned out and looked around.</p><p> </p><p>To the left, the villa dominated the skyline, but Hinata only really had a clear view of the first floor and the top of the ground floor. All of the windows were obscured by blinds, but he could see the dim glow of lighting coming from a few of them. To the right, the ground rolled away to the cliff edge. It wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. There were several meters between the hut and the edge of the ledge. There was no way he was going to fall over, as long as he didn’t do anything too stupid or reckless.</p><p> </p><p>He pulled his head back inside, cautiously maneuvering past the broken window frame, and retreated into the back of the space, to the ‘bedroom’. He gave the beads an experimental tug.</p><p> </p><p>They jerked a few inches and then jammed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shrugged to himself before flopping onto the bed.</p><p> </p><p>It creaked a protest, and he made a mental note not to do that again. At least it felt soft and comfortable.</p><p> </p><p>He lay spread-eagled and stared at the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p>Here he was closer to home than he had been for all of his years in Brazil. Perhaps it was that proximity which was making him feel more homesick. He thought of his mother and Natsu. They weren’t so far. He could always catch a ferry and go home if this place didn’t turn out so great after all. If it wasn’t much fun, he’d just stay for a couple of weeks and then go home, to that old home of his childhood. A short break to clear his mind, that was all he needed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Shigeru Is Nineteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a good thing Hinata had gotten up early the next morning, in spite of the way his bones protested. The bathroom was adjacent to the outhouse, but that did mean taking several steps outside, and walking around the ledge, only a few meters from the drop, to reach it. It was little more than a small hut, consisting of a toilet, basin, and a shower, although there was no stall. Hinata brushed his teeth and showered quickly, wincing at the feeling of the wind whistling in through the gaps in the wooden panels and turning the lukewarm water icy.</p><p> </p><p>When he returned to his room, he barely had time to put his clothes on and sit back down on his bed before there was a knock on the door.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata opened his mouth to respond.</p><p> </p><p>The door swung open regardless.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry”, the man poking his head around the door said. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>The man ducked inside, and Hinata recognized him from the many static images of the man’s face he had been confronted with over the past few weeks, many of which had appeared in the last twenty-four hours. Oikawa Tooru. </p><p> </p><p>Oikawa paused a few feet inside the doorway. “I apologize for being so rude as to not introduce myself yesterday. Things were a little hectic, but they usually are around here.” He shrugged, tucking his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “How’s the room?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s… Yeah, it’s nice. The bed is comfortable.” That much was true. The bed was a single but spacious, not that Hinata really needed a large bed, and there were several blankets and pillows among which he had cocooned himself throughout the night. “Thank you so much for having me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” Oikawa barely seemed to be paying attention, however, as his gaze roved over Hinata’s face.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was different than on the billboards, dressed much more casually in a t-shirt and sporting bags under his eyes. His eyes themselves, though, were as bright and shrewd as Hinata had previously thought them, and his movements were robust as he stepped confidently around the various piles of belongings to stand at the end of Hinata’s bed, hands on his hips. When he spoke his voice also wasn’t what Hinata had expected, deeper than the bright showman pitch on the radio. Yet there was something in the way he spoke that was familiar from the emails they had exchanged. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re shorter than I imagined.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bristled. He wanted to make some quip about how Oikawa also wasn’t what he had been expecting, but swallowed it down. ‘I get that a lot.’</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa smiled, although it didn't go beyond a slight tilt of his lips. ‘You must have been quite the player, to make it with that lack of height.’</p><p> </p><p>Whether that was a compliment or not, Hinata couldn't quite decide.</p><p> </p><p>Another man appeared in the doorway. Like Oikawa, he had carefully combed brown hair and had to duck to step inside. Unlike Oikawa, his tread was hesitant as he stepped around a stack of old letters that had piled up and at some point turned into a small table.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa’s face lit with a fond smile. “Hinata, this is my son, Shigeru. He looks like me, don’t you think?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata met Shigeru's embarrassed but somewhat proud gaze and his lips quirked. “A little.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s getting married in a few months. Hey, if you stick around until June, you might see the wedding. There’s a beautiful shrine by the cliffside here. And June, the best time of the year for a wedding.”</p><p> </p><p>“If it’s not too wet, of course”, Shigeru put in quietly.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s gaze turned towards the boy and he squinted. He did look like a boy; surely too young to be getting married.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa must have noticed his expression. “Shigeru is nineteen, but he knows what he wants. He’s very headstrong.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Shigeru both reddened, and Shigeru muttered; “Dad.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring them both, Oikawa began to wander about the place and inspect the belongings Hinata had unpacked the night before. He picked up an alarm clock Natsu had given Hinata years before, a cute blue and yellow one shaped like a volleyball, and turned it over in his hands without asking.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was a character, Hinata decided, but he seemed like a nice guy. He had some odd facial expressions, when he was thinking; like those little micro-expressions were giving away what he was really feeling before schooling themselves back into an easy grin.</p><p> </p><p>After prodding at a cushion Hinata’s old teammates in Brazil had given him, Oikawa turned to his guest. “Have you thought any more about how long you plan on staying?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata answered honestly. “I’m not sure.” Probably not very long, the way things were going, but then he was nothing if not tenacious, something his former teammates both loved and hated about him. He would at least try to enjoy his time here before thinking about going home.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like”, said Oikawa. “This place isn’t usually used for guests, if you hadn’t guessed.”</p><p> </p><p>“We don’t normally have long-term guests”, Shigeru mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right. Usually I only accept holidaymakers, but your email was… Interesting.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked. When he spoke, he tried to keep his tone polite and neutral, and it came out sounding nothing like himself. “Oh. Yes, well I really sent it on a whim more than anything else. I was so happy when you responded. I’m glad you thought I would be a reliable tenant.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru sighed. “He was interested because you play volleyball.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s always bothering any of our guests who play.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa shushed him, waving both hands comically.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata relaxed a little. This was something, at least, he could relate to. “Do you play?”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa shrugged. “I used to. Only in high school, but when I got injured…” He raised one knee and tapped it. His voice was light. “Well, I left home after graduation and ended up here. I decided to settle down here when I had this one.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru folded his arms across his chest and smiled at his father, and the family resemblance came across even clearer than Hinata’s initial impression. “I’m not the only headstrong one in the family.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa pretended to cuff him about the ears with one hand, and Shigeru yelped a protest, ducking away.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll let you finish your unpacking”, Oikawa decided, shepherding Shigeru towards the door with a few more swipes at his hair, “but if you need anything just come and find us, we’ll probably be in the reception.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, and about the door, I’ll have Kyoutani- that’s Shigeru’s fiancé- drop by and put a lock on it, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Without waiting for Hinata’s response, he shut the door behind them.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Renting a moped from a small store in town for a week was perhaps not the best idea Hinata had ever had. It was a good thing that the roads around the villa were largely empty, as he wobbled left and right on his cyclical journey back and forth by the cliffs. He hadn’t ridden one since his early days in Brazil, so it was taking some getting used to. It was fun, though, pausing now and then by the cliffs to feel the salt-spit wind on his skin.</p><p> </p><p>The clouds had gathered low like steel wool, none of the previous days wintery sunshine, and by the time Hinata had made it down towards the docks it had turned cold, the fine spit clustering into relentless drops of rain.</p><p> </p><p>He wiped his face over with one hand. He had just wanted to get groceries, that was all, but where was the closest store? If he went into town in this weather, where the rain formed a gray haze in the air, would he be able to find his way back again?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s eyes darted to the one familiar sight by the docks: The square glass-fronted café he noticed upon his arrival the day before. Without a second thought, he jumped off of the moped, shook his hair out from under his helmet, and pushed through the door to take refuge.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, the place was empty besides several sets of tables and chairs, hard-backed plastic chairs that reminded Hinata of being in school. Not all of them matched; the tables all seemed to come to different heights, and certain chairs were wider or lower. A chest-high counter ran halfway along the back wall, with a wooden door behind that presumably led to a kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stood in the doorway for a moment, dripping, before hurriedly taking a seat by the wall. Behind him he left a small trail of water, and his stomach sank at the thought that whoever worked there might have to clear up after him.</p><p> </p><p>Spotting some paper towels on the counter, he made his way across to grab them and then began mopping, beginning with the extension of the trail he had just made by walking across the café floor.</p><p> </p><p>By the time he got back to the table and the largest patch of water, he was humming to himself, so loudly that he did not realize anybody else was there until another hand threw down some more paper towels and began mopping up the spill beside him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced up and, crouched across from him under the same table, was a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and wide eyes. Her expression was frozen in an almost pantomime expression of shock.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh”, said Hinata, unsure of what to say. “Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, that was the wrong thing. The woman jumped, her head hitting the table with a painful-sounding thud.</p><p> </p><p>She gasped. “Oh, no, no, I’m sorry!”</p><p> </p><p>Frowning, Hinata asked; “Are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine! Just- here!” She threw her clump of paper towels on the floor. They both stared as they flew in all directions. “Oh no.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata simply laughed, stood up and reached out a hand to help her up from under the table. She was wearing an apron, so she must have been working there. “You didn’t hit your head too hard, did you?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m okay. Thank you.” The woman smoothed her apron down and then stared at him again. “I’ve never seen you here before.” She went red. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me to say!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright, I am a stranger around here.”</p><p> </p><p>She cocked her head slightly, and suddenly Hinata was reminded of the small dog with the perky ears that Pedro, his old roommate back in Brazil, had fostered for a while. “Are you a tourist? This is when the first few tend to start coming.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m staying at the villa up on the cliffs.” Hinata waved one hand in the vague direction of the cliffs, now obscured by the gray rain outside.</p><p> </p><p>“Oikawa’s villa?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, do you know it?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little”, the woman said. “I’ve never been up there, but I’ve met a bunch of people who stayed there. Apparently, he’s a character.” She glanced down at the paper towels still on the floor. “His family sound nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Hinata thought of that morning, and Oikawa and Shigeru coming into his room. Oikawa certainly had a persona about him. “I guess I am a tourist, though. I just retired and decided to take a break here while I figured out what to do next.”</p><p> </p><p>Her head shot up. “Retired? How old are you?” She went red again and bent down, beginning to scoop the paper towels up. “I was being rude again, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata merely laughed and dropped to his knees a few feet opposite to her, feeling the cold of the grey linoleum seeping in through the material of his pants. They worked in silence for a while, moving the towels through the small puddle until they were sopping wet and then wrapping them in dry paper towels from the top of the pile.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey”, Hinata said once the puddle had gone, “when you’re done, can I ask for a coffee? I think I’ll wait here to see if this rain lets up a bit before I head back.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course."</p><p> </p><p>She climbed to her feet and he jumped up beside her. He handed her the towels, which she fumbled as she nodded thanks to him. She disappeared out the door behind the counter, and a few minutes later returned with a coffee mug. Hinata watched as she began to clean a nearby table, then took a few moments to stare out of the window, watching the rain come down and blur the outside world so that the smoky sky seemed to merge with the sea.</p><p> </p><p>After a long period of silence, Hinata asked; “How long have you lived here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was born in the bay nearby, so I came here a lot when I was younger, but I’ve only lived here for a few years. I did the same as you… Moved looked for a fresh start.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cool!” Hinata spilled a little of his coffee so swiftly set it down. “Do you own the café?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I just work here part-time. This isn’t my main job.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh?”</p><p> </p><p>“I work in art. I mean… I do designs for people online.” Hinata could just see her cheeks tinting red. “Some fanart and stuff like that as well. It pays better than people think if you find a niche.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Have you ever done any sports fanart?”</p><p> </p><p>She scrunched up her nose. “Maybe some sports-related stuff, but not really. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I played volleyball professionally!”, Hinata burst out. “When I was in Brazil, that is. On the beach.”</p><p> </p><p>“You played in Brazil?” Her voice went up an octave and her head raised with it.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep, for fifteen years!”</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes lit up, table forgotten now, her hands clenched in small fists as she gazed across at Hinata. “That’s really cool!” She smiled. “My name is Yachi, by the way. Yachi Hitoka.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hinata Shouyou.” He took a drink. “This coffee is really good.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you. I always appreciate people who appreciate my coffee.”</p><p> </p><p>They laughed a little, together.</p><p> </p><p>The two of them continued to talk as Yachi wiped down the rest of the tables. By the time she had finished, Hinata’s coffee was mostly gone, the rain had let up, and he had done his best to recount a condensed version of the last fifteen years of his matches. To her credit, Yachi never seemed to lose interest, oohing and aahing in the right places.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hadn’t noticed how quickly the time had gone until a couple of other customers entered and waved in Yachi’s direction.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d better go.” He stood and put some coins down on the table, turning towards where Yachi leaned against the counter. “Thank you for the coffee. And your hospitality.”</p><p> </p><p>She waved at him. “Feel free to come back any time, if you want a coffee, or just to talk at all.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused, remembering his initial reason for venturing into town. “Hey, do you know any good grocery stores near here?”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s one just down the street. You can’t miss it. It has a creepy sign.”</p><p> </p><p>“Creepy how?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a pig being chopped up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh.” Hinata raised his eyebrows. “Creepy.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi smiled. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks again! See you later, Yachi!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata went back outside, slogging through the puddles to his moped. He shouldn’t have just left it out there, he thought. Hopefully it would hold out until he could get back.</p><p> </p><p>At least now it felt as though he had made a genuine friend. He let that thought warm him while he wheeled his bike back to the main road and along the path to a cluster of buildings further down the uneven street.</p><p> </p><p>His stomach plummeted back down as he parked the moped against the wall and looked back at where he had come from. A few touches of sunlight broke through the clouds and lit up the cliff he had wobbled down previously. One he was going to have to go back up, once he had finished with his shopping.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata groaned and headed inside the store.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The slog was long and hard. Hinata pushed the moped the entire way, slipping in the mud so that by the time he reached the top of the first big hill he was half-covered and exhausted. The handles of his shopping bags dug into his arms where he had slung them around his wrist and he paused to rearrange them where he emerged from the trees, at the point where the ground leveled out slightly and the cliffs became visible to the right. As he resumed walking, he saw that part of the cliff wasn’t so steep as he thought; it was more of a hill, the part tucked further back behind the trees, rolling down to a small bay.</p><p> </p><p>Something was down there. Hinata squinted.</p><p> </p><p>A net. Specifically, a volleyball net.</p><p> </p><p>He stopped and stared for a minute; the journey forgotten about.</p><p> </p><p>Where had that come from? Oikawa? He used to play, didn’t he? Hinata imagined Oikawa setting up a court, down on the small private beach, and taking a minuscule version of Shigeru down to hit the ball back and forth. He smiled to himself.</p><p> </p><p>The sky was largely clear now although the light was rapidly fading and he was beginning to feel hungry, so he hurried the rest of the way back. He’d go back there, he decided, and explore once he convinced someone to come with him. He could invite Shigeru and Watari, if they were free, or maybe Yachi. She had seemed interested in volleyball, asking him questions about his time in Brazil. Maybe he’d invite Oikawa at some point.</p><p> </p><p>He made it through the final uphill push and went to the outhouse to dump his shopping in the mini-fridge and cupboards of his room. When he entered back into the courtyard with his one remaining bag the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and Yamaguchi was sitting by the steps of the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked and then his face split in a grin, the arm not carrying his groceries raising in a wave. “Hey, Yamaguchi!”</p><p> </p><p>He started. “Oh, Hinata, hi! How have you been finding it?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been good.” Hinata stopped by Yamaguchi, idly kicking at the steps he sat by. "I hired a moped and drove around a bit today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nice.”</p><p> </p><p>The air was still save some birds crying in the woods around.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what are you doing out here?”, Hinata asked when Yamaguchi didn’t say anything else.</p><p> </p><p>“I just like to sit here sometimes… When I’m not working, and my roommate is busy.” He averted his gaze from the other side of the dusky courtyard and turned to Hinata with a smile. “Me and my best friend must have explored this whole villa over the last twenty years or so. A lot of my favorite places on the whole island are up here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is this one?” Hinata looked across to where Yamaguchi had been staring previously. Sure, the courtyard was pretty, especially with the sun setting like this, an orange glow setting low in the air while up high all color seeped away to black. Yet the stone was bare, an open plain with craggy cliffside to the left and the road to town to the right, stretching across fields and shrubland that couldn’t quite be described as beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Yamaguchi leaned back on his hands and Hinata dropped down to sit beside him, his shopping temporarily forgotten, still searching for what Yamaguchi could see before them. “There’s this story that there’s a fountain here, somewhere underneath the stones.”</p><p> </p><p>“A fountain?”</p><p> </p><p>“See there how it’s all kind of a jumble of different stones, like it’s been patchworked together?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata squinted, but it was more with his memories of the previous day than what he could see through the dim light that he was able to answer; “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“About ten years ago there was this big earthquake. It ripped up half the courtyard, but so cleanly, there was a big crack right through the center of the earth. I was here then, waiting to meet my friend. I was so scared that the building was going to collapse that I ran out to the beach without thinking. I wasn’t out there long, but it felt like forever. Everything was deadly quiet afterward, except for the sea.”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah.” Hinata leaned forward, trying to make it out, and thought he could just catch the glint of the different colored stones. He imagined those rocks, ripping open as the ground shook, like shorn teeth in a yawning mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had never experienced an earthquake before. Not in person, anyway; he knew a lot of people, both here and in Brazil, who had, and the stories were always horrifying.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi began to speak again. “My friend- he came and found me after a while, not very long, and took me away from the water. It was over then. It wasn’t a bad earthquake, not as bad as it could have been, but there was a lot of damage to the villa when we came back up here. When we came to the courtyard, I actually looked and looked for the fountain under the crack, but my friend laughed at me and told me there was no fountain. I always thought maybe the earth just hadn’t split deep enough.” He laughed a little.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned back to his new friend and watched the way his eyes were low-lit with the same amber hanging around the boughs of the trees that shrouded the rear of the villa. So that was why Yamaguchi liked this courtyard so much, then. The memories. Ones that probably came to life before his eyes, at times like this, in the quiet and solitude of the sunset.</p><p> </p><p>They set in silence for a minute, and Hinata didn’t feel the need to break it. This place held no memories for him, after all.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm, we used to sit out here at night, just… Talking and listening. I swear, Hinata, sometimes I could hear the fountain trickling beneath our feet. Tsukki always told me I imagined it.” Yamaguchi laughed a second time, still animated. “Oikawa used to yell at us both if we talked too loud, even though it was usually my fault.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata recalled what Yamaguchi said the day before, about this being the heart of the island. Maybe it was, for him. He could understand it now, too. Even though Oikawa and Shigeru were somewhere inside the villa, and there had to be guests here too, it felt empty, a natural stone temple surrounded by forest on the cliff edge. The first few lights were turned on in the buildings, clearly ancient and tinted a deep gold color.</p><p> </p><p>“So cool...", he murmured. Turning to Yamaguchi, he asked; "Did your friend live here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. No.” Hinata waited again for him to say something else.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi’s leg had just begun to jiggle when Hinata’s stomach rumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry”, he mumbled, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I haven’t eaten yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that your food?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked to where Yamaguchi had pointed and leaped to his feet. “I went shopping today! I was going to put this in the freezer!”</p><p> </p><p>Without a backward glance he sprinted up the steps and began to shove the shopping away as quietly as possible in a half-empty freezer drawer. The large kitchen was full of clutter and empty of people, and the lights were off. Most of the others, Oikawa and his family and staff, had to be either out with guests or wherever they stayed when the day was over. </p><p> </p><p>Staring at the ancient gas stove, Hinata’s stomach began to growl once more. He stuck his head back around the door into the courtyard, where the sky had mostly turned night and the early stars were sewn overhead.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you hungry?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi blinked up at him, eyes wide. “I’m good.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well...” The local brushed his shaggy brown hair back with one hand. “I wouldn’t want to take your food or impose.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be silly!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ducked back inside and returned several minutes later with a hastily cooked stir fry in two plastic tubs. “I couldn’t find where Oikawa keeps the plates, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi shrugged and accepted the one Hinata held out to him. “They’re under the sink, usually. Hanamaki and Matsukawa move them sometimes.”</p><p> </p><p>It took Hinata a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark after going back outside, and Yamaguchi snickered each of the four times he missed his mouth as he was adjusting.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay”, Hinata said, after a fifth failed attempt, setting his chopsticks down in the makeshift bowl. “What other places are there to see up here?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi finished slurping down a mouthful of noodles. “Well… There is somewhere. But we’re not really meant to go up there anymore. There was an incident.”</p><p> </p><p>He clearly hadn’t gotten to know Hinata very well yet. “Show me!”</p><p> </p><p>“I really shouldn’t.” Yamaguchi looked at Hinata, who was still staring hopefully, and paused, then gulped. “But I don’t think anyone is staying in that room now, so we should be okay. We’ll just have to be careful.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scrambled to his feet. “Yes! Okay!”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi led him around the side of the villa, each of them clutching their tubs of food. Around to the right of the large building, a room jutted out of the ground floor. The roof sloped down slightly to a point just above their heads. Like Yamaguchi had said, the room was deserted; there were no lights on and no sounds coming from inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like the coast is clear.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded. Yamaguchi boosted him up with one hand and Hinata caught hold of the roof, hauling himself over the top and breathing hard when he leaned back down to give the other man a hand. Yamaguchi passed the containers along before accepting Hinata’s help in pulling himself up.</p><p> </p><p>They weren’t very high. Still, around this side the view of the sea was unobstructed, as was the view of the forest, now to their left, trees packed so tightly together that Hinata couldn’t see more than a few feet deep inside.</p><p> </p><p>He looked at the next roof up, the main roof of the villa. It was much higher, but from here they could possibly scale it. It didn’t look like it would be very difficult, either; there were lots of crannies and cracks in the stone.</p><p> </p><p>“Could we make it up there?”, he wondered aloud.</p><p> </p><p>“No!” Hinata stared and Yamaguchi lowered his voice, sitting down and carefully tucking his legs under him. “You can’t really see it, but part of the roof up there is caved in. Let’s just stay here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sat down beside him, letting his legs dangle over the rough edge of the roof, and they began to eat.</p><p> </p><p>Just down below there was his hut, peeking out from under the cliff. The sky looked big here, too. Hinata thought he had never seen so many stars, not even on the beach in Brazil or in his garden back home as a kid. He was reminded of all of the times when, as a child with a strict bedtime, his mother would let him stay up late, or their family would come home from a trip at night, and he would sit and look out of the window and the sky would seem impossibly large and swirling with stars. The exhilaration of seeing something he rarely got to see, watching for patterns in the sky as he struggled to keep his eyelids open, fighting against the oncoming blanket of sleep, enveloped him yet again and he suddenly felt very small. He felt the hair on his arms raising.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for showing me that”, Hinata said when they scrambled back down to the ground, meal long since finished. He brushed his pants off and turned to watch as Yamaguchi climbed down after him, landing slightly less gracefully.</p><p> </p><p>“No problem.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, can you show me some more places? Tomorrow?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I’m working.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tried not to look as crestfallen as he felt. He really had enjoyed himself.</p><p> </p><p>“But I’m free the day after”, Yamaguchi added quickly, throwing a small smile in Hinata’s direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Great!”, Hinata cheered, raising his arms in the air.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi grinned and waved as he headed back down towards the town.</p><p> </p><p>He should get some sleep, Hinata realized. Hoping they hadn’t woken anyone up, he ran across to the gate and raced down the steps- and he marveled at how he already felt so confident, moving nimbly across the jagged stones- to the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>At the door, he paused.</p><p> </p><p>Sitting shiny and out of place was a new silver lock. On the floor by his fat sat a matching key. Attached to it was a small note that read:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Hinata, Kyoutani finally got around to fitting a lock. I hope this one is okay. Take care not to lose the key! Love, Oikawa.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Strange. Hinata hadn’t seen Oikawa or anybody else near his hut, but then he supposed he hadn’t really been looking.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled as he turned the key in the lock. Today, he had made two new friends. Four, if he was counting Oikawa and Shigeru. Even if he didn't end up finding some kind of new purpose here, at least it could turn out to be a fun holiday.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Watari Is Like Part of the Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a couple of days later that Hinata was jerked awake by the sound of crashing and rattling outside of his door.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment he lay there, blinking and breathing shallowly, and he thought that perhaps he had imagined it. Or maybe there was some kind of animal outside, and that had awoken him.</p><p> </p><p>Then a deep voice said, quite clearly; “What the-?”, and Hinata propped himself up on his pillows.</p><p> </p><p>He watched blearily from beneath his several warm blankets as the door was shaken, dust floating down from around it as the patterns of the sunlight changed where the gaps in the wood were moved.</p><p> </p><p>The same voice asked; “Did you fix the lock?”</p><p> </p><p>There was a pause before another voice spoke, slightly higher than the first. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t tell me. Where’s the key?”</p><p> </p><p>Another pause.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you actually fix it? Or did Kyoutani?”</p><p> </p><p>The second voice sighed. “Okay, I didn’t fix it. I just thought you wanted me to say I had.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, because now we can’t get in without the key.”</p><p> </p><p>There was more banging, and the first voice started muttering.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, the time he fixes it is the time we need to get in there…”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, we’ll go get the key from Oikawa.”</p><p> </p><p>There was another crashing noise, and then the door swung open.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gripped his sheets up this neck, his body flooding with ice as he looked up from his bed to see two huge figures entering. They towered just inside the door, silhouetted by the light, and then took a few steps inside.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck is all this?”, the original voice Hinata had heard, belonging apparently to the taller of the two, asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know. When did Oikawa get around to clearing everything out?”, the other murmured, kicking at the couch with one foot.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata drew in a deep breath. They weren’t burglars, at least, since it sounded like they knew Oikawa quite well. And they looked to be a similar age to Hinata and Oikawa. He decided to make his presence known.</p><p> </p><p>“Who- who are you?”, he asked, his voice trembling slightly.</p><p> </p><p>The shorter of the two jumped, pivoting to stare at Hinata. The other one turned more slowly and raised a pair of thick eyebrows at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Who are <em>we</em>?” His voice was deep and gravelly. “Who are <em>you</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>Now that he had a chance to look at them, they didn’t really look like burglars at all. They both seemed large and intimidating, sure, but Hinata had never seen criminals dressed in pastel clothing.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hinata. I live here.”</p><p> </p><p>It occurred to Hinata that he should probably get out of bed, rather than laying there and staring at the intruders like a startled rabbit. He swung his legs around, wincing slightly at how cold the air felt in spite of the small portable heater next to the bed, and slid into some slippers, which were already turning grey from the floor.</p><p> </p><p>One half of the duo slapped his forehead and then shook his taller companions’ arm. “Matsun! This is the guy Oikawa said was coming.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s here already?”</p><p> </p><p>He scrunched his nose up. “Looks like it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I guess that shows how much he tells us, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you work here?”, Hinata asked, padding forward to join them in the living area.</p><p> </p><p>“We do some odd jobs for Oikawa. I’m Matsukawa.” His eyebrows moved slightly when he talked. Hinata tried not to stare.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hanamaki. Things are kind of slow at the moment, so we were going to get some work done.” He looked around. “You don’t know where any of our tools are, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>That made sense; Hinata had seen a few guests around but not many. Yamaguchi had told him the number tended to explore around March or April time and then they would busy for the next six months or so.</p><p> </p><p>“No, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Where did he put them, then?”, Hanamaki muttered, more to himself than anything else.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you two doing in here?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata peered around Hanamaki to see Oikawa standing in the doorway. He had on a blue apron and held a wooden spoon in one hand. His hair was neat, and his eyes were bright as he looked between the trio in the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>“Looking for tools. What have you done with them?”, Matsukawa asked, straightening up slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“I asked Kyoutani to put them in the spare room. Everything else is upstairs.” He glared between Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “You didn’t scare my guest, did you?”</p><p> </p><p>“No”, said Hanamaki. “But Matsun broke the lock.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kyoutani only fitted that yesterday.”</p><p> </p><p>“And Matsun broke it today.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa sighed, and then smiled. “Hinata, how are you this morning? These two didn’t wake you up?”</p><p> </p><p>“No”, Hinata lied. “I was already awake.</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” His host turned to Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “Breakfast is nearly ready.” He turned to go, then looked back over his shoulder. “Oh, Hinata, you’re welcome to join.”</p><p> </p><p>Without waiting for an answer, he walked away through the gate. Matsukawa strolled off after him, hands in his pockets.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki flashed Hinata a quick smile before following them, and Hinata slipped his shoes on and raced to catch up, still trying to blink the sleep from his eyes and straining to see in the sunlight.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The dining hall was busier at that early hour than Hinata had ever seen it.</p><p> </p><p>In one corner, Watari was slouched back against the wall, yawning with one hand over his mouth. Across the table, Hinata recognised the back of Shigeru’s head, combed as tidily as his father’s. A man Hinata didn’t recognize sat next to Shigeru. He had bleached hair, into which dark lines were cut, and a broad back.</p><p> </p><p>Without hesitating, Hanamaki and Matsukawa took seats at the next table along from the younger men. Hinata hesitated, looking around for Oikawa. The man had walked ahead so swiftly that they had lost track of him.</p><p> </p><p>As if aware that Hinata had arrived, Oikawa appeared in the kitchen doorway, spoon gone, where he wasted no time on getting the introductions started.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, that adorable puppy there is Kyoutani Kentarou, Shigeru’s fiancé.”</p><p> </p><p>The man beside Shigeru half-turned and Hinata caught a face full of piercings and eyeliner, a second before the man turned back.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Hinata blinked, confused somewhat. That was certainly not what he had been expecting when he had found out Shigeru was due to be wed.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could ask any questions, Oikawa continued; “And this charming young man is Watari Shinji, he works here.” He reached out to run a hand over Watari’s head, and Watari swatted at him.</p><p> </p><p>“He knows who I am, I met him when he first came here”, he reminded lightly.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa ignored him.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a seat, Hinata. Make yourself at home. Nobody’s going to bite you, we’re all a friendly bunch. Actually, Kyoutani may bite you, but you can hit him if he does.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani grunted and mumbled something under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa opened his mouth as if to respond, before closing it in a harsh line and once more vanishing into the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, Hinata hesitated, feeling absurdly self-conscious. It wasn’t an emotion he had experienced for a long time: Not since he had been in high school. He didn’t mind sitting with the workers here, but sitting right in the middle…</p><p> </p><p>He hovered for a moment longer before internally shaking himself and taking the seat beside Watari. What was he thinking? He was Hinata Shouyou, the former professional athlete. He had this.</p><p> </p><p>When he sat down, Kyoutani turned to the table next to them and uttered; “Oikawa said you broke the lock on the outhouse. I only put that up last night.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can’t have done a very good job, then”, Matsukawa scoffed. “It came off so easily.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki elbowed him. “Liar. You were grunting and shoving for ages. I got most of it off, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever”, Kyoutani grunted. “You guys can put it back on.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re not paid to fix things.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa reappeared. “I’m not paying you at all.”</p><p> </p><p>“Except in food.” Matsukawa grabbed at something from one of the plates Oikawa was carrying, and Oikawa kicked him. Matsukawa scowled and Shigeru laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa set the plates down in front of Watari, Shigeru, and Kyoutani, and Hinata felt his stomach begin to growl. It looked like it was mostly grilled vegetables, a little meat, and rice, nothing too fancy, but it made him realize how little he had eaten over the past couple of days, not wanting to monopolize the kitchen in case Oikawa needed to use it.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa kicked Hanamaki this time.</p><p> </p><p>“Come help me with yours.”</p><p> </p><p>To Hinata’s surprise, both Hanamaki and Matsukawa got to their feet and followed Oikawa into the kitchen. Up close, neither of them were as big and scary as he had thought originally: Hanamaki wasn’t even as tall as Oikawa, and they were both kind of lanky. They weren’t exactly skinny, however <em>Hinata</em> probably had more muscle than either of them.</p><p> </p><p>He relaxed slightly, now that he was alone with the younger guys, before glancing at Kyoutani and tensing back up. Surely that couldn’t be Shigeru’s fiancé, could it? Shigeru was so… Well, seemingly the exact opposite of this man.</p><p> </p><p>He was jogged out of his thoughts by Watari speaking to him in between mouthfuls of food. “It’s good to see you again. How have you been? Have you had a chance to explore the island yet?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little. I got some groceries.” Hinata tore his eyes away from the food. “I’ve met some nice people since I’ve been here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not at the villa, though, I bet”, Shigeru joked.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed a little. He caught Watari stealing something from Shigeru’s plate, and wondered how he could seem so casual here, even more so than Kyoutani, who sat hunching into himself even while he ate.</p><p> </p><p>Almost as though reading Hinata’s mind, Watari looked up and smiled at him. “It’s okay, I’m allowed to bully him. I live here.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru hit him. “You do not.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata asked; “Do you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Kind of. Like I said, I've known these guys a long time, and my family go away a lot. Especially my dad; he’s in business, so he goes back to the mainland for work. I started staying here when they were away a few years ago, when I was old enough to have a choice.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru hooked an arm around his plate, guarding it from the thief across the table. “We don’t have the best reputation in town, so his parents don’t like him coming here.” He looked up and met Hinata’s eyes, giving him a smile. “My charms won them over, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“And Oikawa won my mom over”, Watari added.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru’s cheeks went red and he turned to glare at his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m like part of the family now.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru said; “We’ve tried getting rid of him.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani chuckled. Hinata glanced over at him. He had been largely silent so far, sitting close to Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“What about you, Kyoutani?”, he asked, in an effort to invite him into the conversation. “Have you always lived here?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru snorted.</p><p> </p><p>“No. He started off as a tourist, like you."</p><p> </p><p>“About eighteen months ago he came over on his gap year after graduating high school”, Watari interjected.</p><p> </p><p>“I was only supposed to be here a week.” Kyoutani’s voice was softer than Hinata had expected, quieter. He looked down as he spoke, shuffling his hands into his dark hoodie, apparently done with the food on his plate.</p><p> </p><p>Watari shrugged. “We had some big storms then, so his trip home got delayed another week.”</p><p> </p><p>“He never left”, said Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“It happens here.” Watari shrugged again. “This place just pulls you in.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought of the blue of the waves even under the cloudy winter sky and mild wind. He could easily imagine why somebody would want to settle in a place like this.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Hinata, how long did you live abroad for?”, asked Watari.</p><p> </p><p>“Fifteen years, roughly. Mostly in Rio and Sao Paolo. I came back to visit in the off-season a lot, but… It’s strange knowing I’m going to be home permanently now.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru raised his thin eyebrows. “Not quite home.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, how come you came here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well…” Hinata laced his hands together on the bare patch of table in front of him. “I did go home for a few months first and see my family.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have any children?”, Shigeru asked, tilting his head to one side.</p><p> </p><p>He chuckled. “No, I’m single. No kids. I meant my sister and my mom. I never had time for a family of my own.”</p><p> </p><p>“You were too busy with volleyball, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed, and then laughed harder when his stomach growled. Shigeru and Watari tittered alongside him.</p><p> </p><p>After a moment, he answered; “Kind of, yeah. It was pretty much my whole life.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are your favorite memories? From Brazil?”</p><p> </p><p>When he began speaking, Hinata attempted to recount everything chronologically, but the more he talked, the more tangents appeared and he frantically tried to list them mentally so he could come back once he had gone through each moment before that. He spoke about meeting his roommate for the first time and being afraid they would not get along- although Pedro turned out to be a close friend in the end- and seeing the beach there for the first time, only that just brought on more recent memories, of Heitor and Nice’s wedding, so he jumped to that. He remembered his first match, and his first victory there, and getting to meet one of his heroes, Romero, when he returned from overseas. He thought of the matches that seemed to go on forever under the blazing sun until he felt he would collapse, sweat dripping down his body and sand plastered to his legs.</p><p> </p><p>He more he shared, the more homesick he felt. He could never accurately describe to his attentive audience how it felt to spend fifteen years somewhere as a young adult, learning to do everything for himself and make friends based on shared interests rather than because you were neighbors or went to the same school. He could never make them see how vibrant that life was, not without taking them there. It was vibrant here as well, but in a different way. It felt alien, almost, speaking in his own language all the time.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked away the tears that had come from nowhere to threaten his vision. How ridiculous, how fitting. He had cried when he went to Brazil, and now he was crying at leaving the countrt behind. </p><p> </p><p>When he did, he found Shigeru watching him wistfully, his chin leaned against one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds incredible”, the young man whispered. “I always wanted to learn to play, but dad never wanted to teach me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata remembered the court he saw, on the tiny beach buffered from the wind by the enclosing cliffs.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I can teach you, if you want”, he offered. Shigeru would never achieve a professional standard now; it was too late in life for him to start. Still, he could be very good.</p><p> </p><p>His homesickness was swiftly forgotten, as adrenaline began to spark at the thought of getting on the sand with a ball in his hand and the sun overhead.</p><p> </p><p>“Please!” Shigeru sat upright and turned to Kyoutani, then Watari. “Join!”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure”, said Watari.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani raised his head and Hinata tried not to flinch at his face.</p><p> </p><p>He said; “I already offered to teach you to play.”</p><p> </p><p>“But Hinata’s a professional player”, Shigeru argued, waving one arm. “And you played basketball, not volleyball.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know the rules.”</p><p> </p><p>Trying to diffuse a potential argument, Hinata said; “I can show all of you, if you want. It’d be more fun with more players, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani looked back down at his plate. “Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Shigeru caught his fiancé’s arm and threw him a smile that lingered on the verge of smug. After a moment, Kyoutani glanced up at him and scowled, although his face turned pink.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata put a hand over his mouth to cover his smile.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa bounced back in with more plates, followed by Hanamaki and Matsukawa.</p><p> </p><p>He set one down on Hinata’s table.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s for you, the little star.”</p><p> </p><p>The meat had been arranged into a star on his plate.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling ridiculously like a small kid being enticed into eating healthily by his parents, Hinata ducked his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you very much.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki and Matsukawa slumped back at the next table along, facing Oikawa. The rest of the plates sat in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>The food was good. It wasn’t anything particularly fancy, as Hinata had suspected earlier, but the flavors were nice and worked well together.</p><p> </p><p>“So, do you live here, too?”, he asked after a moment, turning to the men who had awoken him earlier.</p><p> </p><p>“Not in a million years”, Hanamaki answered. Matsukawa nodded, his mouth too full to voice his agreement.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa snorted. “As if I’d let you stay here.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re basically free labor”, said Matsukawa.</p><p> </p><p>The villa owner’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve had enough of you.”</p><p> </p><p>Leaning across, Oikawa shoved a handful of food in Matsukawa’s face. His eyes were fierce, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips, and his hair looked as though it had been ruffled. He seemed less composed than before.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki shifted forward and bit the food from Oikawa’s hand instead, making a show of chewing it and wiping his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa made a disgusted face and wiped his hand on Matsukawa’s hair, as dark and thick as his eyebrows, leading to the beginnings of what looked like a full-on brawl. Hinata shuffled out of the way.</p><p> </p><p>Watari shook his head. “They’re worse than children, I swear.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s nice to see dad so relaxed, though”, Shigeru murmured.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata settled back into his seat once he had finished with his food, and listened to the bickering going on around him. He didn’t really feel like he was a part of the atmosphere, however it was nice to be in it. It was comfortable. In a way, they really did feel like some bizarre kind of family.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“I’m home”, Hinata whispered to himself as he set the last item down. It was a small lamp, bought from the store Yachi had directed him to the other day. He had purchased it solely because the only light in the outhouse, bracketed on the wall behind the couch, was temperamental, flickering for a few seconds whenever he turned it off or on before settling on one setting.</p><p> </p><p>Outside, the weather was beautiful, the sun blazing overhead- as much as it could blaze at that time of the year- yet Hinata had had enough of his suitcase sitting in the living space, so he had elected to spend the majority of his afternoon unpacking and rearranging.</p><p> </p><p>It was tiring work, taking longer than he had thought. Every now and then he would stumble across some knickknack and spend minutes lost in his thoughts, before debating for several more minutes on where to put it. Now his trophies and photos relating to volleyball all sat atop a towel emblazoned with a yellow and orange sun that he had draped over the coffee table; a few other novelties from Brazil, including some playing cards and a small bird crafted from some kind of gemstone rested on top of the mini-fridge.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sat down on the couch and looked around at his handiwork. The stone floor and walls were still bare, but it felt a little more homely now. He grabbed the cushion shaped like a volleyball that Heitor and Nice had given him and hugged it to his chest.</p><p> </p><p>The curtain dividing the living area and the bedroom was still broken; he would have to do something about that.</p><p> </p><p>And those stairs…</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuddered a little. He didn’t like those stairs being there.</p><p> </p><p>They jutted out of the wall, as if fitted in a narrow cupboard, leading up into darkness. Hinata had been up them, briefly, when he first moved in, only to ensure that there was no secret intruder lurking. From what he had been able to see with his torch and the shafts of light coming in the gap in the roof, it was dusty and full of cardboard boxes.</p><p> </p><p>His curiosity once more got the better of him and he found himself heading up the staircase, listening to the way his feet sound on the cold stone floor, scraping against the stairs. The air grew mustier as he climbed up, but when he hit the wooden trapdoor at the top and swung it open, he was hit by the fresh air coming in from outside. There was a small window to one side, in the same place where one existed below, as well. The pane for that one also seemed to be broken.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn't dare venture too far inside: Instead, he sat just inside the lip of the trapdoor, slid over one of the nearest boxes, and opened it.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, stacked neatly, was a bundle of volleyball magazines. He smiled as he lifted out the top one, brushed off the dust, and flipped through the pages. He used to collect these, too. He wondered whether they were Shigeru's or Oikawa's: Judging from their age, probably Oikawa's. He recognized a few of the faces; not from playing against them, since he rarely got the chance with being abroad, but mostly from watching games. Many of the people featured there were the ones he had watched growing up, so they were almost definitely Oikawa's.</p><p> </p><p>A clattering noise downstairs had Hinata throwing the magazine back into the box and racing down the stairs. Had Hanamaki and Matsukawa come back for some reason? Or Oikawa? What were the chances of him having another intruder today?</p><p> </p><p>Whoever he had been expecting to see standing by his front door, it was not a goat. Hinata was almost certain it was the same one Yamaguchi had shepherded away when they first arrived. Its blank rectangular pupils stared to either side, and its long yellowing front teeth gnawed at one of Hinata’s sandals.</p><p> </p><p>He missed the lock on his front door already.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaped down the rest of the way and went towards the creature, shooing and flapping his arms.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t move.</p><p> </p><p>He gave it a hesitant push.</p><p> </p><p>The goat rocked slightly on its hooves and turned its head towards him. He almost laughed at what he imagined to be a bewildered, offended expression on the animal.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata relaxed. It seemed harmless enough. He reached forward with one hand to extricate his sandal from the creature’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, the goat turned tail and fled.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ran after it, up the steps outside and through the gate, towards the sweeping hills that led down towards the main town, stretching in between the dirt road and the cliffs.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, the goat was nimbler and quicker than he could ever hope to be in his slippers.</p><p> </p><p>After a few minutes of chasing, the goat was little more than a small brown blob in the distance. He watched as it raced over towards the cliff edge and disappeared, likely down some secret path humans couldn’t hope to navigate. The sandal had still been flapping from its mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bent over on his knees, huffing for breath in between the laughter that ripped itself free of his lungs. Of course, this had happened to him.</p><p> </p><p>He laughed even harder when he turned back around and saw the hill he would have to walk back up to reach the villa. If that goat had been trying to make his life hell, it knew what it was doing.</p><p> </p><p>After a long trudge back up to the site, he decided to head inside the main building. A quick and quiet dinner was cooked in the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Normally when he ate, Hinata would either sit outside or retreat to his own room. This time he decided to sit in the dining room, where they had eaten earlier. It was fairly large, with several tables, but dark. It was in the middle of the building so there were no external windows, just dim torchlights, similar to the one in the outhouse, bracketed along either side of the walls. Oikawa had told him that the villa offered free breakfast to its guests, so in the mornings the guests would eat there. Oikawa and the other staff often ate dinner there in the evenings.</p><p> </p><p>There was nobody there now. Hinata took a seat in the corner by the kitchen, where Watari had sat earlier that day, since it felt weird to sit in the middle of all of the tables by himself.</p><p> </p><p>He finished his meal swiftly, without catching sight of another soul. Oikawa occasionally wandered by, humming to himself, and at one point Kyoutani and Matsukawa walked past. They were discussing- or, rather- arguing over- fixing Hinata’s lock. Hinata decided to stay silent. Best not to make things worse.</p><p> </p><p>By the time he headed back to his room the sky hadn’t yet turned dark, but he decided to climb into bed early. After a long night’s sleep he could wake up early, and spend the whole of the following day exploring.</p><p> </p><p>Sometime later- he wasn’t sure how long- Hinata was awoken by the pounding of music.</p><p> </p><p>He sighed a little and shuffled in his bed, feeling the blankets rubbing against his legs. It was too warm to move. But where was that noise coming from?</p><p> </p><p>It was definitely too late to go and check now. Whatever time it was, it was pitch-black outside.</p><p> </p><p>He rolled over, hoping it would stop, and for a moment the din did quieten. Only for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>When it started again, it was hammering a steady rhythm, like a heartbeat.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s own heart began thundering, almost in time, as he slipped out of bed, pulling on a jacket and a pair of sneakers- and how thankful he was now that he had unpacked everything- and went to find its source.</p><p> </p><p>There were no signs of activity out in the courtyard when he began climbing up the steps. The noise was slightly louder outside, except it dimmed somewhat when he headed back towards the main buildings. It seemed as if it was almost echoing off the cliffs, drifting over the sea.</p><p> </p><p>He put his hands on his hips and leaned back slightly, breathing in the crisp air. Surely it had to be coming from inside of the building. He looked up and down the road. No headlights and he couldn’t imagine what a car would be doing up there so late.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata began to circle around the back of the villa, taking the route along the sweeping cliffside so that he was still mere minutes from his hut, and he wondered whether he was hallucinating.</p><p> </p><p>The music seemed to be coming from the small copse of trees, behind the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at the treeline for a long moment. His eyes had adjusted slightly while he walked, however, the forest still seemed like a wall of impenetrable shadows.</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing down his fear, Hinata began to walk forwards, into the darkness. Whoever was playing the music couldn’t be too far inside the trees; it was incredibly loud now. If there were any creatures moving around him, birds, or insects- or goats- he would not be able to hear them now. His breathing grew faster.</p><p> </p><p>After a minute or so of walking a shape loomed to his left; a building. It looked similar to the outhouse, from what he could make out of it, only longer. Hinata hadn’t realized the villa grounds stretched all the way out here. It seemed empty, though: Cold in a way he couldn’t describe.ta</p><p> </p><p>He journeyed onwards, almost tripping over unseen, twisting roots.</p><p> </p><p>How long had he been walking now? A few minutes, he was sure, and the music seemed to have grown impossibly loud. Hinata knew he couldn’t have gone that deep into the forest, since he was walking quite slowly, trying to find his way across the grass, which had grown springy and marshy underfoot, without stumbling. But how would he find his way back out?</p><p> </p><p>If there was a building, there had to be another way into the trees, he told himself. A clearer path, probably somewhere to his left, connecting to the main villa. If he got lost at all, all he would have to do was find that building once more.</p><p> </p><p>Lght flickered through the branches up ahead.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took a few staggering steps forward, not caring what noise he made. Nobody would be able to hear him over that, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>There seemed to be some kind of close, just ahead, where the trunks gave way to a large clearing.</p><p> </p><p>He rested one hand on a tree trunk and paused just behind the treeline, ducking down in fear of what he could see. They might not be able to hear him, but if one of them turned around and saw him…</p><p> </p><p>Peering out from behind the trunk, Hinata confirmed that what he had glimpsed had not been his imagination.</p><p> </p><p>Inside the clearing was a small wooden hut. To one side there was a low stage, also made of wood. But what drew his gaze was the firepit in the center of the clearing. People were dancing around it.</p><p> </p><p>A lot of them were only half-dressed, and he could just make out devilish silhouettes. The music is so loud he felt like he was going to pass out, all of the blood rushing to his head.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took a deep breath and steadied himself back against the tree, blinking fiercely. The afterimage of the fire remained on his eyelids, blindingly bright after his journey in the darkness. Tears rushed into his burning eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Wiping his eyes, Hinata peered around the trunk again, attempting to figure out if he stumbled upon some kind of fire-worshipping cult or if something else was going on.</p><p> </p><p>He found himself face to face with a skinny man with wild eyes and even wilder red hair.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jumped. He didn’t even hear himself scream.</p><p> </p><p>What he did hear was the guy yell, in an incredibly loud voice; “Hello!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ran all the way back to the outhouse, ignoring the twigs that caught in his hair and scratched at his cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Hiding in the warmth of his blankets, he felt his heart rate slowly return to normal; unfortunately, the sun rose with it, and dawn peeked in through the windows just as he was getting comfortable again. Still, all he could think of was the one question bouncing around in his brain since his strange encounter.</p><p> </p><p>What the hell was going on out there in the woods?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry that this sucks, it was mostly written late at night.</p><p>Also, goats are actually pretty scary. Have you seen their eyes?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Kyoutani Is A Nice Young Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, you’ve never left the island?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi popped another spoonful of cake into his mouth and exhaled in satisfaction before answering. “Nope.”</p><p> </p><p>“How come?” Hinata simply couldn’t fathom that someone would choose not to travel and explore beyond what they already knew. Wasn’t that what life was about? Following your passions, having adventures?</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know… I just like it here, I guess.” Yamaguchi rubbed at his neck somewhat nervously.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata let out his own sigh and leaned back in his seat, looking around. The café was slightly busier today: Asides from himself and Yamaguchi, there was a young couple seated a few tables down, an elderly woman sipped tea by herself, and a man worked on his laptop in one corner. The weather was good today, in that it seemed dry and no rain was forecast. Hinata supposed more people had probably come down to the beach to enjoy it and wandered inside for some nourishment.</p><p> </p><p>Taking the final bite of his cake, Yamaguchi commented; “That’s a nasty scratch. Where did that come from?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” Hinata blinked at him, confused, and then followed Yamaguchi’s gaze with his hand, reaching up to his cheek. Oh. He had almost forgotten. “This? It’s really strange, I was in bed when all this noise woke me up. I got up to find out what it was and ended up walking through the forest in the middle of the night. I guess I got caught on a branch.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you find out what it was?”</p><p> </p><p>He frowned at his own memories. The pulsing lights, the music so loud his ears were still ringing, the odd man with the red hair…</p><p> </p><p>He straightened up. “Hey, you know the villa well, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi smiled modestly. “I suppose so.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, do you know anything a-”</p><p> </p><p>It was the first and only time in his life that Hinata would ever be annoyed by the arrival of Yachi.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, guys!”</p><p> </p><p>She seemed much bouncier and more confident than when he had first met her, as she collected their plates onto a tray. Her short blonde hair was drawn around in bunches on either side of her head. Hinata hadn’t seen her come in, or the girl who had served them earlier leave.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi!”, he greeted.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Yachi”, said Yamaguchi, and Hinata raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You two know each other already?”</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone knows each other here.” Yachi shrugged. “Tadashi works at the tourist information center in town.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata raised both eyebrows, ignoring the creepy small-town Wicker Man type vibes her first sentence carried. “Is that why you were such a good host, showing me around?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi chuckled. It came out a little hoarsely. “I mean, it’s good for business, getting to know the tourists at the villa. Sometimes I do tell them to drop by the info center.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been a while, though.” Yachi grinned. Her hands wobbled slightly, and she lowered the tray onto the edge of their table. “Hey, when is Tsukishima coming back?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi's easy smile faded. “I’m not sure.”</p><p> </p><p>He shrunk back in on himself slightly, his previous animated look dwindling and leaving his eyes. Hinata decided it might be best to change the subject.</p><p> </p><p>"Does everyone here really know each other?", he asked, looking earnestly between the two of them.</p><p> </p><p>If that was the case, how much did he stand out? Did all of the locals look at him and immediately mark him down as an outsider? In a way, that was something he had gotten used to in Brazil so, while it didn’t faze him, it was strange to think that he had returned home simply to still be outside of the norm. Wicker Man vibes indeed.</p><p> </p><p>“More or less.” Yachi’s voice dropped to a whisper when she spoke again. “I don’t know him, though.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded her head towards a guy sitting in one corner, typing on a large laptop. A ponytail hung over one shoulder of his black hoodie.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked from the man to Yachi and back to the man again. “He’s not from here, either?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” She frowned. “He doesn’t seem like a tourist either, though…”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never seen him before”, Yamaguchi put in.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared. The man was fairly small, like himself; he could tell that, even sitting down. He had a round face framed with long hair, apparently dyed blond, although the dark roots were long. Maybe he was trying to grow out the light color, Hinata thought.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi was right: He didn’t look like a tourist, typing on his laptop and ignoring his surroundings. She had said the same thing about Hinata, though. What was it that made her say that about him? Maybe he was just so comfortable being out of place now that he looked at home everywhere.</p><p> </p><p>The man’s eyes flickered over to his briefly and Hinata had the strange feeling that he knew they were talking about him and was waiting to see if they would approach him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to introduce myself”, Hinata decided.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata”, Yamaguchi hissed at his back, and when Hinata glanced back from halfway across the café he saw the freckled man’s face was panicked.</p><p> </p><p>He smiled, waving one hand in a deliberately blasé fashion, and carried on walking until he was stood in front of the strange man.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, he announced.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello.” The man’s eyes flickered in Hinata’s direction with suspicion, but also a small smile that gave Hinata the impression that he was amused. His eyes were taking in his every move in a way that was designed to appear lazy.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hinata Shouyou. I’ve just moved here. Temporarily.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kozume Kenma. Just call me Kenma.” He kept the same small smile on his face. “I’m also here temporarily.”</p><p> </p><p>Feeling awkward still hovering over him, Hinata took a seat in a chair at the table beside him. “Are you on holiday?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m here on business for a few weeks.” Kenma turned back to his laptop, tilting the screen slightly. Hinata stared at it blankly. There were a lot of charts with numbers that meant nothing to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, that’s a shame. It’s nice here. I mean, I’ve only been here for less than a week, but I’m really enjoying myself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm. I’m meant to be scouting out a location that my company are considering purchasing for development, so I should look around, really.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata perked up. “I can show you around if you like!”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma’s eyes flitted back towards him and away again. “I thought you’d only been here for a week?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, my friends live here.” Hinata gestured towards Yamaguchi, who was watching with the same anxious expression from earlier. Yachi had disappeared; when Hinata glanced over, he spotted her blatantly staring at them from over behind the counter. He gestured towards her, too, swinging his arm in a broad semicircle, and she froze and ducked. Forget The Wicker Man: This felt more like Hot Fuzz. Cheeks tinging red slightly in embarrassment, he continued; “They know the island. And I can show you the places I do know!”</p><p> </p><p>“I might take you up on that offer.” Kenma stretched, hands clasped together, and then rested his chin on his knuckles, staring over them at Hinata. “Where abouts are you staying?”</p><p> </p><p>That was an odd question. Hinata frowned, hoping Kenma hadn’t been reading his intentions wrong. “The old villa on the top of the cliffs. But only in the outhouse.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m renting an apartment in the center of town, but it’s busy and crowded.” He made a face. “If we do end up buying here, then I’ll have to come back again, so I might look into staying at the villa. Is it quiet, up there?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought back to the night before. “Most of the time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm. I really have to get back to work now, but I’ll be here working most days, so you know where to find me.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, Kenma turned back to his screen.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata got to his feet. “I’ll see you around, Kenma.”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know whether he imagined Kenma’s eyes flickering up towards him again.</p><p> </p><p>“See you.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, he bounded back over to Yamaguchi, still wearing the wide-eyed expression that was caught halfway between astonishment and fear.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on.” Hinata nudged him. He wasn’t sure whether they were at the part in their friendship that he could give orders like that, but somehow he didn’t think Yamaguchi would mind. “I want to get back to the villa before lunch.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes- okay!” Yamaguchi darted to his feet. “Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Up to the villa?”, Hinata checked.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… I’m working later this afternoon. But I can walk with you for a bit.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>They both waved to Yachi as they departed, who popped out from her hiding place in time to catch that they were leaving and wave in return. As he slipped out of the door, Hinata caught Kenma peering at him and then turning to Yachi, and, just as the door swung shut behind Yamaguchi, he saw her duck back under the counter.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>A warm silence settled around them while they walked along the main road and through the trees, to the beginning of the incline that led up to the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi huffed slightly as they started walking up the slope, and Hinata concentrated on not doing the same. He really was getting out of shape: How embarrassing. Even though he had made this walk every day since his arrival it seemed to get harder each time. He decided to blame it on the weather getting hotter. They hadn’t even made it out of the shade of the trees, and he was already sweating. Walking along the bare cliffs with the sun beating down on them would surely be worse.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced at his red-faced companion from the corner of his eyes. “You don’t have to come all the way up with me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I want to. It’s a beautiful day; I might go for a walk along the cliffs.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s going to be hot.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hummed. If Yamaguchi wanted to dig his own grave, who was he to object? Besides, he'd left two bottles of water in his mini-fridge last night, and they were calling their names.</p><p> </p><p>Losing the shade of the trees wasn’t as bad as he had feared, because the wind had really picked up and it brought a chill to his skin, whipping over the perspiration that rested there. The road turned first to gravel and then to dirt beneath their feet.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe you just went up and spoke to that guy in the café”, Yamaguchi said.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had the feeling he had been waiting to say that. He shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Kenma? Yeah, he seemed nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t have done that.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” A sudden panic seized Hinata. He had just supposed that Yachi and Yamaguchi were nervous over nothing, but what if there was something that they hadn't told him? What if Kenma was some kind of gang member? He had talked about being there on business after all. And the numbers on the computer and the dark clothing-</p><p> </p><p>He took a deep breath and relaxed when Yamaguchi answered.</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t have the confidence to just… Go up to a stranger and start speaking to them like you did. You make it look easy.” He scratched at his neck as he talked. Although he was smiling, it didn’t reach his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, I just like talking to people.” A thought occurred to Hinata. He turned to Yamaguchi accusingly. “You talked to me when I was a stranger.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was nervous.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, you weren’t!”</p><p> </p><p>"I was very scared of you."</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi snickered, and Hinata hit his arm gently.</p><p> </p><p>His friend was am an odd one, he thought. He didn’t seem anxious, not like Yachi was. He could be a little shy perhaps, but he was also friendly and funny, and not afraid to get sarcastic with Hinata, who he had only known for a few days.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, maybe I wasn’t scared of you", Yamaguchi admitted. "You’re not a very scary person."</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shook his head. “I’m not sure what option I should be more offended by: You being afraid of me, or saying I’m not scary.”</p><p> </p><p>The sound of their laughter, like their footsteps thudding dully against the grass and the bugs intermittent chirping, was lost to the rising wind. A bird cawed faintly in the distance, the noise just reaching them. A crow, if Hinata wasn't mistaken.</p><p> </p><p>Abruptly, Yamaguchi said; “Normally, I let Tsukki do the talking in most of our friendships. Although, maybe that’s why I don’t have that many other friends.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He had considered avoiding the topic, given Yamaguchi's reaction earlier. There was clearly something going on there; history he wasn't aware of. But now Yamaguchi had brought it up, so he thought he might as well ask. “You’re pretty close to this Tsukki, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi sighed a sigh that said he was tired of being asked that question. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>They reached and started to ascend the first hill, and Hinata looked over to the side, where the land ended and the sea began, to avoid looking at Yamaguchi. The sun shone so brightly off of the water it was almost blinding, and he could have forgiven himself for thinking it was already summer.</p><p> </p><p>Down below, something became visible, inch by inch like a shipwreck revealed by the waning tides, as they climbed. The court he had spied the other day.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata's legs were moving before he could stop himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Yamaguchi!”, he yelled back, his voice almost lost to the wind as he ran. “Come on!”</p><p> </p><p>“Where are you going?”, Yamaguchi called after him. “Hinata, stop!”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring him, Hinata raced down the side of the steep hill, the break in the cliffs, to the small beach. His whole body rejoiced when the soil underfoot gave way to sand, feeling the familiar sinking sensation tugging his legs down. Even from down at the level of the horizon, the sea was staggeringly bright, and he shielded his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>He knew Yamaguchi would follow, and when he turned back he saw he was right. The local haltingly staggered his way down and picked across the sand warily up to his side.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on!”, Hinata yelled when Yamaguchi was beside him. He gestured at the net. “Let’s play volleyball!”</p><p> </p><p>“But we don’t have a ball.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata froze. He had been so excited that he hadn’t even thought of that.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait here, I’ll go get one”, he said.</p><p> </p><p>“But-”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t wait to listen to Yamaguchi’s protests, sprinting back off up the hillside. His bones protested slightly as the ground grew firmer beneath him, the wind was pulled from his lungs and his heart pounded by the time he reached the villa, but the adrenaline coursing through him was something he had sorely missed.</p><p> </p><p>The lock on the outhouse was still broken, so Hinata hadn't even bothered to bring his key with him. He flung the door open, fished a ball out from under his bed- a relic from Brazil- and began the race all the way back down the hills. The ball escaped his hands halfway down and he nearly tumbled after it. It beat him to the beach by a good minute, but he caught up to it upon his return.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi was sitting on the sand, staring out at the sea with one hand over his eyes. The sun had brought out his freckles even more than usual, and they stood out against his tanned skin.</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata skidded to a stop beside him, he looked up. “I’ve never played before. What do I have to do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Stand up, first”, Hinata chuckled, tossing the ball from one hand to the other and back.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi did so, brushing his shorts off.</p><p> </p><p>“You can take your shoes off, too, if you want”, he continued as he kicked his own off, eyeing Yamaguchi's sandals. He always preferred playing with his sneakers in areas he was unfamiliar with, but he had left them back in the outhouse, so barefoot would have to do: The sand seemed clean here, at least.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, since there’s only two of us today, I guess we can start off with some practice”, announced Hinata. “I’ll throw the ball to you, and you try to hit it so it lands on the other side of the net, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>A thrill of excitement ran through him at the thought that this would be Yamaguchi's first experience with volleyball. Perhaps he was going to tap into some hidden talent that Yamaguchi wasn’t even aware he had.</p><p> </p><p>He threw an easy toss. Yamaguchi reached up on his tiptoes with not nearly enough power behind his stance. It was a good thing the ball barely grazed his fingers; if it had hit him anywhere else, it could have hurt.</p><p> </p><p>Scratch that part about hidden talent.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, sorry”, he mumbled, turning and chasing after the ball.</p><p> </p><p>His attempt at serving back at Hinata was a valiant effort- he had clearly been paying attention when the visitor had hit the ball at him- except he did not have enough height, and sent the ball straight into the net.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scampered forwards to scoop it up before Yamaguchi could move, ducking under the webbing to reach. “I’ll keep serving. You stick to receiving." He squatted down to demonstrate.</p><p> </p><p>After the tenth bad receive smacked resoundingly into his forehead, Yamaguchi put his palms over his eyes. The sun gleamed off of his sweaty skin as he leaned over, elbows on his knees, attempting to catch his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe try jumping a little?”, Hinata suggested from across the net.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi looked up. “Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay.” Hinata spun the ball in his hand, tossed it, and caught it. “We’ll get there eventually.” He paused, letting it drop to the sand at his feet. “Let’s head up to the villa, we can come back to this another time. Don't worry, I'm not going to give up on you, Yamaguchi. I’ll turn you into a pro.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi looked decidedly nervous.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed, briefly looping an arm around Yamaguchi’s neck, and the two of them grabbed their shoes and continued walking.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi stayed at the outhouse long enough to drain a glass of water before he returned to the town. The sun was still high overhead, bathing the courtyard in a white light that seems to sap the stones of their coloring.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata walked him partway towards the town, stopping at the bottom of the hill still in full view of the villa, and waved one hand. Yamaguchi half-turned, raising one hand. His golden skin gleamed as he raked one hand through his shaggy hair.</p><p> </p><p>When he was out of sight, Hinata turned towards his temporary home.</p><p> </p><p>Only to find a goat blocking his path.</p><p> </p><p>Not just any goat.</p><p> </p><p>Its fur was a speckled light brown, a darker stripe running down its back. Its jaw twisted oddly as it chewed at a clump of tall grass sprouting by the gravel track, its demonic eyes staring off to either side vacantly.</p><p> </p><p>It raised its head and bleated at Hinata, the loose skin on its throat jiggling.</p><p> </p><p>Clearly, Hinata thought, it had recognized him.</p><p> </p><p>He began walking towards it.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t move.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on”, he said aloud.</p><p> </p><p>He could just walk past it, he supposed. But Hinata knew three things: This was a wild goat; from first-hand experience, he was aware of how fast it could move; and, although animals like cows and goats may seem like harmless lumbering beanbags, they were likely responsible for more deaths than dangerous animals like sharks.</p><p> </p><p>In desperation, he waved his arms.</p><p> </p><p>The goat continued to chew.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe he would be able to get around it if he was just eating.</p><p> </p><p>He took a step to the side, onto the grass. The terrain over here was a little rougher to navigate, but he had run up it earlier, so he should be fine, and the villa was only a short walk away.</p><p> </p><p>The goat lowered its head and stepped into his path, chomping on a patch of grass directly in Hinata’s trajectory.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?!”, he demanded, waving his hands even more frantically.</p><p> </p><p>The goat lifted its head and took a step towards him, and he took off, racing around behind it, and didn’t stop or look behind him until he reached the low walls surrounding the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Leaning on his knees, panting, he peered back down the hillside. The abominable creature stood where it had been when he took off, head down.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed to himself. How silly of him, being afraid of a goat. If anything, he should go back down and chase it off before it returned for more of his belongings.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of echoing laughter had him jerking his head up and twisting around. Had somebody seen him?</p><p> </p><p>For a moment he squinted against the bright light, and then he saw the source of the mirth: Oikawa and Matsukawa were in conversation on the other side of the courtyard, the two of them taking down laundry from a couple of lines stretched between two walls. As Hinata approached, they fell silent in their work, both of them with their backs to him.</p><p> </p><p>There were mostly bedsheets and pillowcases, a few items of clothing as well. Matsukawa twisted as he pulled down a multi-colored t-shirt and smacked Oikawa with it.</p><p> </p><p>“This is ugly.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa snorted. “You’re ugly.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stepped up to them, wiping his forehead to remove any traces of sweat. “Do you guys need a hand at all?”</p><p> </p><p>They both jumped and turned towards him. Oikawa seemed tired today; there were dark circles under his eyes. Both his styled do and Matsukawa’s dark curls had taken a battering from the weather, falling down over their eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re fine”, Oikawa replied, but he was wrestling with a sheet that flapped about in a sudden gust of wind.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ran forward to grab the other end, and Matsukawa hummed a waltzing tune as they stepped away and together a couple of times, alternately folding the sheet and joining the corners when they stepped together. Hinata was provided with vivid memories from his childhood, of him and Natsu dancing about as they helped their mother with the laundry.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks”, Oikawa said, taking the sheet from Hinata’s hands. He tossed it into a basket at his feet.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them told Hinata to stop, so when Oikawa took the next sheet from Matsukawa, he motioned to Oikawa to let him have one of the ends and they continued their folding dance. They soon fell into a routine of Matsukawa unpegging and Oikawa and Hinata folding.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa passed his guest a pillowcase, but another sudden gust blew it from his hands. Luckily, Matsukawa managed to snag it out of the air with one hand. He had fast reflexes, it seemed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata held his hand out for it, but the taller man did not hand it back. Instead, Matsukawa eyed him as he dropped the now-folded pillowcase into the basket.</p><p> </p><p>“You really don’t need to help, we’re fine. We do this all the time.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tried not to shrink away or show his disappointment. “It’s not a problem. I just got back from town. I don’t have anything else to do today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I saw”, said Oikawa. His face vanished behind the sheets briefly before reappearing. “With Yamaguchi, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“He was here the other night, too. I saw you both eating on the steps.”</p><p> </p><p>“He was showing me some more of the villa. Around the outhouse and stuff. He said there’s a part of the building where the roof caved in?” Hinata felt it would be prudent not to mention that they had climbed up there.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa’s features twisted and his pupils fluttered up almost into the back of his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yes”, he said airily. “Someone kind of fell through the roof last year and is now <em>supposed</em> to be banned.”</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa muttered; “<em>Supposed</em> to be”, and Hinata jumped as he had not noticed the man moving closer behind him.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki appeared from inside the building, trailed by Kyoutani. The teenager was slouching and looked just as unhappy as he had at breakfast the other day.</p><p> </p><p>“Where’s Shigeru?”, Kyoutani half-grunted by way of greeting.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa smiled at him. “He went down to the store with Watari.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani muttered something about going to find him and then skulked off. Hinata watched as he made his way past the wall, kicking at a loose stone, and disappeared over the crest of the hill.</p><p> </p><p>Movement caught his eye. Oikawa was also watching and shaking his head.</p><p> </p><p>When he caught Hinata looking at him, he explained; “In my opinion, Kentarou is a good person, and a nice young man- well, deep down. But I do sometimes wonder if he and Shigeru might be rushing things a little.” When Hinata continued to stare, he blinked, a smile Hinata was now uncomfortably familiar with pinging back onto his face with a wave of one hand. “Forget I said that: I’ve said it to Shigeru many, many times, to no effect, so there’s no point telling anyone else.”</p><p> </p><p>For some reason, Hinata thought of Heitor and Nice’s wedding, back in Brazil. They hadn’t rushed things: Quite the opposite, actually. But he knew things hadn’t always been easy for them. “You can’t stop love, when it’s real.” Not that it was something he had personal experience with, but seeing his friends happy on their big day had been something he would never forget.</p><p> </p><p>“Pff. Real love.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you saying you don’t believe in love?” Hanamaki fluttered his eyelashes at Oikawa and clasped his hands together.</p><p> </p><p>“If it isn’t helping me pay my bills, I don’t have the time for it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki and Matsukawa snickered.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitated, pulling the last pillowcase from the line and folding it over in his hands, carefully not responding.</p><p> </p><p>Love was real, he knew that, but how it was real was what bothered him. He loved his family and his friends, and he thought he had maybe felt romantic love before, even if it had never really gone anywhere. He had definitely experienced crushes, both as a kid and an adult, albeit not to the point where he would say he had fallen in love. Sometimes he had worried that there was something wrong with him, using volleyball as both an excuse and a distraction to avoid forcing himself into a date that would inevitably turn out to be uncomfortable. Besides, he loved his family and his friends and that counted for something, right? Were they not relationships, too?</p><p> </p><p>He had found a term, online, surprisingly easily: Asexual. But the thought of actually applying that to himself felt wrong. How would he know, when he didn’t even put himself in that situation? Maybe he was just afraid? Or maybe he did just like volleyball too much to think about other things. Now that distraction was no longer there, now that he had retired, he was slightly afraid that, once he came back home, he would find his life empty, and that it would be his own fault.</p><p> </p><p>Still, a deep-rooted part of him rejected all thoughts of seeking someone out solely for physical attraction. What was that even supposed to feel like? How would he know, if he was attracted to someone without speaking to them first, if they were someone he could spend time with? What if he tried to talk to them and it turned out they didn’t even like volleyball?</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not going to be a real wedding, anyway”, Oikawa said, so quietly that Hinata barely heard him. But he did hear, and it jolted him out of his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>He turned his head towards Oikawa, sharper than he had intended.</p><p> </p><p>“You must have been surprised”, continued Oikawa. “About Shigeru’s fiancé.” He met Hinata’s gaze levelly. Why was he staring so intensely like that?</p><p> </p><p>“I was, a bit”, he admitted, a slight tremor creeping into his voice. Of course he had been: He had expected a blushing bride, a short, radiant young woman with long dark hair and large eyes. Kyoutani was short: That was about the only part that matched the expectation.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have a problem with it?”</p><p> </p><p>“If he did I'm sure he would have said something, Oikawa”, Matsukawa said in a low voice, but Oikawa hushed him by raising one hand. He didn’t look away from Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>The tense atmosphere broke as Hinata gave a relieved laugh. Oikawa hadn’t been able to read his mind at all: He was just concerned for his son.</p><p> </p><p>“Not at all”, he said between titters, and then added; “I’d be a hypocrite if I did.” In his few experiences of romantic attraction, the object of his affections had always been male.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa regarded him, brown eyes still narrowed, and then nodded, as though he had decided Hinata was telling the truth.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright”, the villa owner said, hefting the basket up off the ground and balancing it on his hip, under one arm. His muscles strained against the sleeve of his t-shirt. “So it won’t be a real wedding. It can’t be. But they wanted to have it, and if it’s meaningful for them, it’s what we’re going to do. It was just going to be family only, but… It’s turning out that family is more people than I originally thought.” Oikawa wasn’t looking at Hinata now, staring at where Hanamaki and Matsukawa were now muttering to each other. “It’s going to be perfect, even if it isn’t real. I’ll make sure of it.”</p><p> </p><p>And, Hinata believed, from the determined set to Oikawa's face, that anybody would be a fool to doubt him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry that this has taken a little while: I keep getting distracted by other ideas. But hopefully the next couple of chapters will be up soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hanamaki and Matsukawa Are Assholes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry I haven't updated this in a little while: There's been a lot going on at the moment. I'm hoping that, after this chapter and the next one, things are going to start getting a little more interesting! This first handful of chapters are just introducing the main characters/setting for what comes later.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Snippets of conversation in a foreign language drifted across to reach Hinata’s ears, and he strained to listen. All of the years in Brazil had left him with somewhat of a knack for guessing what language others were speaking if he didn’t actually know the tongue.</p><p> </p><p>It was ironic, really: English had easily been one of Hinata's worst subjects in school. Just went to show, he supposed, that the method of education mattered more than the content.</p><p> </p><p>He sighed in disappointment as the couple headed inside the guesthouse, their voices fading before he could hear enough to figure it out. It had sounded vaguely Slavic, he thought; perhaps Czech, or Slovakian. Not Russian: For a little while he and Heitor had been friends with a Russian guy in Brazil, who had taught them several words that he claimed were essential and which Hinata privately thought were a little vulgar. He would likely have recognized that language.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaned back on his hands and kicked his feet against the dirt, drawing in a deep sigh. He was sat at the top of the steps leading up from the outhouse, watching the sun rising over the horizon, and had been there for some time, watching the color slowly seeping into the sky, from black to pale yellow to amber to blue. Birds cawing overhead had woken him at the crack of dawn and gave him company through his silent reflection. A volleyball sat in his lap: His greatest comfort, at a time like this.</p><p> </p><p>Another bout of homesickness had struck him. It had been a long time since he first went to Brazil, and he had forgotten just how intense the feeling could be. Even speaking on the phone with his mother the night before had barely relieved the feeling. It was made even worse by the fact that he wasn't entirely certain as to where he was homesick for.</p><p> </p><p>He turned when he heard more footsteps moving across the courtyard behind him.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru and Kyoutani were walking side by side, talking in low voices. They were holding hands. As he watched, Kyoutani smirked at something Shigeru was saying; he must have been in a good mood.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, Hinata called out to them, shielding his eyes with his hand and waving at them with the other. When they turned to him, he continued; “Do you guys want to come to the beach with me to play volleyball?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Shigeru inclined his head and tugged at Kyoutai. “You’ll come too, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani muttered an assent, and Hinata leaped to his feet, clutching the ball between both hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Great!”, he cried, bounding over to join them. This could be just what he needed, teaching the younger guys. Any excuse for volleyball was good. “Want to go now?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru’s eyes blew wide, but he grinned. “Okay. We can take the van, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Kyoutani shrugged. His usual black hoodie was gone: Instead, he wore a striped blue and white tank top. It must have been because of the weather getting steadily warmer, Hinata supposed. Kyoutani was more muscular than he had anticipated; he had been able to tell there was power in his movements before, of course, but he was surprisingly bulky.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll go to the beach in town”, Shigeru decided. “I’m not sure where Watari is; I’ll message him to meet us.”</p><p> </p><p>The mystery of where Watari was became solved when the boy appeared from inside the villa, waving both arms over his head as he raced after the van, which was rolling towards the exit to the grounds.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani let the van drift to a halt.</p><p> </p><p>“I was just finishing cleaning one of the rooms”, Watari gasped as he climbed in beside Hinata. Glancing down, he realized he was still wearing clear plastic gloves and pulled them off, tucking them into his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was admittedly a little disappointed that they were heading to the main beach and not the small bay by the villa, but he didn’t mind too much. Wherever they played would be fun, and he was itching to get moving. He had to make a conscious effort not to jiggle his leg.</p><p> </p><p>Outside the windows, the countryside shifted, the hills slowly rising up around them, and the thickets of trees drawing closer. Hinata squinted against the low sunshine.</p><p> </p><p>Leaning across the seats and resting his cheery face on folded arms, Watari said; “So, you’re really going to teach us how to play, huh? Please go easy on me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll be gentle, don’t worry.” Hinata laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru hummed, drumming his fingers against the dashboard. “I always liked the idea of being a setter.” He was wearing sunglasses that showed Hinata’s reflection whenever Shigeru turned towards him. He also had a sun visor, patterned light blue and white, the fabric slightly faded and the seams at the back frayed. Hinata tried not to smile when he saw it: Shigeru at least looked the part of a true beach volleyball player.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, being a setter would be cool”, Watari conceded. “They’re like the one the team revolves around, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Spiking is cooler.” Hinata tried not to huff. He felt a slight chill as the sunlight faded, the interior of the van suddenly thrown into shadow where they drove among the forest.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll take your word for it”, said Shigeru. “I don’t think I have enough power for that or blocking. I have dainty hands, dad says.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani and Watari snorted in unison.</p><p> </p><p>“Dainty hands, bullshit”, Watari yelped, his nose wrinkled in indignation, “you beat Hanamaki at arm-wrestling that time.”</p><p> </p><p>“To be fair, Hanamaki sucks at arm-wrestling. Kyoutani would make a good spiker, he was the champion, remember?” Shigeru smiled at the driver. Hinata couldn’t see his face, but the man’s ears had turned pink.</p><p> </p><p>Already regretting the feeling that compelled him to act as the responsible adult of the group, Hinata said; “Well, even a setter needs to be strong. But those are more the rules for regular volleyball; beach volleyball is very different. Still, if you want to try playing as setters we could do some practice, with me and Kyoutani spiking."</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! Us two against you two!” Shigeru twisted to grin at the backseat passengers, and Hinata grimaced at the warped version of himself reflected in the sunglasses.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re going to destroy you”, Kyoutani said, and Hinata was surprised to hear that his tone was actually teasing, light almost.</p><p> </p><p>Watari nodded. “You’re on.”</p><p> </p><p>Instead of turning off at the small track that led down to the docks, the van continued onwards towards the main town. Hinata tried to keep a track of where they were going; any local knowledge was helpful. They drove past the small supermarket with the strange sign and further along the main road, and more houses began to appear, and several open storefronts. Kyoutani took a sharp left, and then another left, so that they were driving perpendicular to their original route. The stores and houses, with the trees behind them, ran along to their left, and the beach to their right. Eventually, they pulled up at a small cluster of cars and mopeds, and Hinata saw that they weren’t far down from the café Yachi worked at.</p><p> </p><p>More importantly, set just back from the sidewalk and standing on the sand were two posts with a net stretched between them.</p><p> </p><p>The four of them piled out of the van and Hinata relished the sound of the waves as he walked up to the court, completely forgetting for a second that he wasn’t alone as he wandered about to the other side of the net. He only just turned in time to catch the ball when Watari threw it at him, and he barked a laugh at their faces when he snatched it from the air with one hand.</p><p> </p><p>No matter how long it had been, Hinata knew that he was still good. He knew it in the way he threw the ball into the air- just right- for his serve; in the way his thighs tensed just before he leaped; in the way Shigeru and Kyoutani’s faces changed as the ball whipped past them onto the sand, and the way Watari wheeled to stare at him. He couldn’t quite keep the smirk from his face.</p><p> </p><p>At the beginning, the game was a pendulum, the advantage swinging from side to side. Hinata was pleasantly surprised to find that none of them were exactly terrible. At least, none of them were as unsure as Yamaguchi had been.</p><p> </p><p>Following his first shot, Hinata struggled to adjust to Watari’s setting; he didn’t set fast enough for Hinata’s taste. But, being the senior of the two, Hinata used his experience to adjust to the teenager’s pace. While they lost a couple of points, Watari didn’t seem discouraged, laughing and shrugging it off, which Hinata was glad of. Volleyball was meant to be fun first and foremost, after all. He caught himself laughing when Watari made up a high five for them, after their first solid connection.</p><p> </p><p>Watari shifted into gear only when it became clear that Shigeru and Kyoutani, despite bickering over Kyoutani’s lack of accuracy, were a determined and formidable team. In fact, if Hinata had to pick, he would say that Shigeru was possibly the most natural player; not surprisingly, if his father had perhaps shown him a few things at one point. Shigeru seemed to have all the basic movements down, and his instincts when he reacted to Hinata’s serves and spikes were admirable. If there was some way to combine Shigeru’s accuracy and instincts with Kyoutani’s strength and Watari’s strong receives, they would make an incredibly good player.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata raced forward, feeling the familiar sinking of his feet into the shifting sands and the straining in his legs as he pushed himself on, to where Kyoutani was spiking the ball, only to skid to a halt and begin backing up as Watari got there first, half-diving and sending the ball flying high. Hinata leaped as it arced back towards land and spiked it straight down with enough strength that it left a crater in the sand. Shigeru just missed out on receiving it.</p><p> </p><p>Watari scrambled to his feet, whooped, and turned to Hinata for one of their high fives. Hinata obliged with a grin.</p><p> </p><p>“When Oikawa said there was a retired guy coming to the villa…” Kyoutani was leaning on his knees, panting, and glaring up at Hinata from the other side of the net. He didn't have eyeliner on today, yet his thick eyelashes still framed his eyes with dark lines. “I didn’t expect you.”</p><p> </p><p>He chose to take it as a compliment. Hinata threw a smirk at him and, after a moment, Kyoutani gave him what could be considered a smile, then turned away swiftly.</p><p> </p><p>After a half-hour or so in which they all lost count of the score, Hinata called a break.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m winded”, he gasped, bending over melodramatically and holding one hand to his side. Perhaps he did have a little bit of a stitch coming on, but it was more that he had seen the way Wata was sweating, and how Kyoutani looked almost like he was about to vomit or pass out.</p><p> </p><p>“Bullshit.” Shigeru cackled a laugh, ducking under the net to nudge Hinata with his elbow. “You’re still clearly a pro athlete.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m retired.” They chuckled, and Hinata pouted for a moment before joining in. When he looked about, he saw that the beach was nearly deserted except for a few people walking along the sidewalk with groceries, and he sank down onto his haunches as he observed; “It really is quiet here.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll get busier over the next few weeks”, Watari said. He too took a seat on the sand. “Probably not busy like you’re used to, though. I think not too many people outside Japan know this place exists.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru sighed, and he and Kyoutani flopped down on Hinata’s other side, sprawling on the beach. “We never get any celebrities or anything here. You have to go to one of the bigger islands, or Tokyo, for that.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s that guy coming to play at that cultural festival thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“But not anybody actually cool.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tokyo isn’t all that great”, Kyoutani said softly. “I like the quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that why you got so grumpy in tourist season last year?”, Shigeru teased.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata asked; “He gets grumpier?”, and then clapped a hand over his mouth, horrified. One of the worst traits from his younger years was his habit of blurting out the first thing that came to his mind without thinking it through and, as he had gotten to know his teammates in Brazil, they had grown used to the small comments that would occasionally slip out.</p><p> </p><p>Worried that he had offended them, he opened his mouth to apologize, only to find that, while Kyoutani was indeed scowling, Shigeru and Watari were fighting snickers.</p><p> </p><p>Watari said; “Surprisingly, he does.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani stood. “I’m going to go get some drinks.” He turned to Shigeru. “Do you want one?”</p><p> </p><p>His fiancé nodded, a sweet smile lacing his features. “Yes, please.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari jumped to his feet beside Kyoutani. “I’ll come with you!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Shigeru watched as the two of them disappeared inside of the café, and then Shigeru looked down, fiddling with the laces on one of his sneakers.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry if I upset him…”, murmured Hinata. As much as Shigeru and Watari poked fun at Kyoutani, and he thought Kyoutani must not have minded or he wouldn’t be there with them, he still felt bad.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, he’s not really angry. If he was, you’d know”, said Shigeru. He glanced up at Hinata, and then out towards the sea, where a group of seagulls cawed as they settled on the water.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what did you think of volleyball?”, Hinata asked. “Is it as fun as you thought?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah.” Shigeru grinned, an upturn of the lips that echoed his father’s charming smile.</p><p> </p><p>“You said your dad used to play, right?”, he probed further when Shigeru said nothing else. “Did he build that court down by the villa?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru frowned. “I’m not sure. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. He used to play with me a bit, there. When I was small, I mean. He doesn’t talk about it much, but he used to be really good. Hanamaki and Matsukawa always say so. Not in front of him, though.” He laughed. “He was a setter, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” In retrospect, Hinata probably could have guessed that: Shigeru had jumped at the chance to play in that position and, besides, Hinata had always found that setters had a certain character about them, a mold in which Oikawa most definitely fit.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Shigeru nodded. “I’m glad you’re here because I always wanted to learn. I get why he doesn’t want to talk about those times much, because I know it was tricky for him, leaving all that behind. I just wish he would talk about it more.”</p><p> </p><p>“He had an injury, right?” Hinata recalled Oikawa mentioned something about his knee.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm. But there was other stuff. He left home to come here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>“He was younger than me then. And he ended up running the villa and raising me all by himself.” A proud tone had entered Shigeru’s voice, growing fonder the more he talked. “Well, with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. They’ve also been here as long as I can remember. They’re like my uncles.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re both nice guys”, Hinata said.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re assholes.” Shigeru barked a laugh, and Hinata thought that it seemed like Shigeru was being genuine, now: There was something he hadn’t been able to place before, but now he thought that Shigeru always seemed to be acting polished, especially in front of his father. He wore the same false smile that Oikawa had, along with a pretense at shyness. Now, the smirk adorning his face was somewhat sardonic. “They’re not as bad as dad, though.” His gaze flitted to Hinata and the smirk faded back to the perfect smile. “Worrying about me, I mean.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wanted to say something along the lines of, it’s their job to worry about you, only he was afraid it would make Shigeru withdraw if he tried to play the responsible adult card too much. Instead, he said; “How do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru stretched and shook his head, flicking his hair from his eyes. “Ahh…” He gave a long sigh, gazing skyward, then turned back to Hinata, huffing his cheeks. “I know my dad is worried about me getting married... I think he's just doing that to make me happy. But I'm happy here. He told me I should have more of a plan than to stay and work at the villa.” He scoffed. “What else am I meant to do, just leave? I’m happy here", he repeated, softer.</p><p> </p><p>They fell silent as Kyoutani and Watari appeared, both of them carrying a glass in each hand. Hinata looked up in surprise, and then with gratitude, as Watari handed one of the tumblers to him. Kyoutani sat next to Shigeru and almost hesitantly took his hand, and Watari resumed his original spot on Hinata’s other side.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took a sip of the drink, some kind of fruit juice, as he watched Shigeru’s face change. Shigeru was clearly still just a kid, but he was also mature in some ways, and from the way his eyes went soft sometimes when he looked in Kyoutani’s direction, it was clear how much he loved him. Sure, they were young, but Hinata thought that there weren’t many other reasons to worry. He wondered if perhaps Oikawa had been like that, once, with Shigeru’s mother. His father had come to the island young, Shigeru had said, and Hinata had already figured that Oikawa had to have been fairly young when Shigeru was born. Shigeru had never mentioned his mother. Maybe that was why Oikawa was fretting about the wedding, and why he seemed so scornful of the idea of real love.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of saying so and touching on a potentially sore subject, Hinata said; “I wonder if I was ever like that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Like what?”, Shigeru asked.</p><p> </p><p>“In love, like you two.”</p><p> </p><p>He snickered a little, and Watari joined in when Shigeru and Kyoutani looked at each other and then glared at him in unison.</p><p> </p><p>When he quietened, Watari turned to him with his eyebrows raised. “Were you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think so”, he answered, and he didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Clearly seeking revenge, Shigeru told him with a smirk; “You know, you kind of had this look whenever you talk about playing… And when you were teaching us earlier.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata raised his hands pleadingly. “That’s an old joke, now.” That was always the problem with making new friends as an adult: They would take the jests and quips that were too familiar to you and run with them.</p><p> </p><p>Pedro always joked he would marry the sport if he could. There it was, that line that followed him everywhere. He himself often wondered how true that was.</p><p> </p><p>They sat quietly for a while, drinking their drinks. Hinata stared across the sands, wondered who among the sparse groups thronged on the beach were tourists on a vacation from their everyday lives, who were locals, who lived across the bay and were visiting for a short period. He wondered how many of them loved something so much that they would dedicate a significant portion of their life to it, and what they would do if they ever found that there was an afterward.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think you’ll be up for another game?”, he asked.</p><p> </p><p>Watari groaned and flopped onto his back, letting sand trickle through his splayed fingers.</p><p> </p><p>The look Shigeru sent in Hinata’s direction was sheepish bordering on guilty. “We really should get back and…”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Hinata laughed and rubbed at the back of his head. “Yeah, you guys probably have things to do, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.” Shigeru considered. “But not just yet, we still have a bit of time.”</p><p> </p><p>A couple meandered past, hands linked and laughing loudly, and Hinata let their mirth buoy him as he sipped on his drink.</p><p> </p><p>Bolting upright, Hinata said; “Oh, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask-”</p><p> </p><p>He explained to them what he saw the night he slipped out of the villa and into the forest. He didn’t mention the nightmare he had after he went back to sleep, about the villa turning into some kind of monster, the buildings rising up together as if they were connected under the ground by tree roots, becoming a moving body, the beating of the music becoming a heartbeat, and the water beneath the courtyard trickling in between and seeping from the gaps in the buildings like blood.</p><p> </p><p>One he had finished his haunting tale, silence hung in the air.</p><p> </p><p>And then Shigeru laughed: One short, sharp cackle.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not a cult”, he crowed, “That’s the villa bar.”</p><p> </p><p>At his words, Watari also creased up and began to snort with laughter. “A cult, that’s the funniest description of that place I’ve ever heard.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked between the two teenagers, writhing in hysterics. Every time they looked at each other it seemed to get worse. “Villa bar?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah”, Shigeru calmed himself enough to answer, rubbing at one eye. “It used to be somewhere where they did traditional dancing and stuff, years back, in the forest. By years back, I mean decades ago. But then they turned it into a sort of nightclub.”</p><p> </p><p>Still giggling, Watari added; “It’s changed <em>a lot</em> over the years.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was originally meant to be just for guests but it’s really locals who go there the most, since it’s away from the touristy spots and kind of hidden.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani was staring hard at the sand, as though through sheer force of will he was attempting to craft glass. With a nod in his direction, Shigeru commented; “He doesn’t like it.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s more I don’t like the people”, muttered Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t even know them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Even though we technically own it because it’s on our land-”, Watari began.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru raised an eyebrow. “‘Our’?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shh. Oikawa owns it, but he never goes there. There're a few guys from town who take care of everything. I think they just give the profits to Oikawa and keep the tips.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s nice of them”, remarked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>The others exchanged looks.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, they owe him, so”, Watari said, and didn’t elaborate further.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani growled; “Drink your juice, before it gets warm.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gulped the last of his drink down and turned to the others.</p><p> </p><p>“You guys get back. I’ll take the glasses back to the café.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright.” Shigeru nodded. “See you later then, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>“See you later.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata watched as the three of them clambered into the van before gathering the tumblers in his arms and making his way inside the café.</p><p> </p><p>Today it was mostly empty, just a few people scattered about. Yachi was hovering by the door, cleaning a table. When she spotted him, her head perked up and she smiled, her brown eyes wide.</p><p> </p><p>“Just bringing these back”, he said as an explanation of his appearance, nodding to the cups he had cradled against his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” She darted forward to help him, removing all four from his grasp and stacking them so they were balanced in a way that seemed precarious, yet which she was able to carry with a practiced hand. “Hinata, if I’d realized you were with them, I would have given it to them on the house.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scratched at the back of his head. “There’s no need for that.”</p><p> </p><p>He followed her as she made her way over to the counter, wary in case she did need a hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I feel bad”, she continued in a chatter, disappearing out the back behind the counter for a moment before reappearing with her hands empty. At Hinata’s questioning look, she explained; “Those boys who came in, they looked scary. I’ve seen them before, but they’re usually with another boy who looks nicer. I didn’t know they were your friends.”</p><p> </p><p>Trying not to laugh, Hinata said; “They work at the villa where I’m staying. I’ve been teaching them to play volleyball today.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s so exciting! Invite me, too, next time!” Yachi waved her hands in front of her all of a sudden.  “To watch, I mean. I don’t think I’d be a very good player.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anyone can play volleyball! I mean, look at me.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi opened her mouth, only to pause when a man called out to her; “Waitress!”</p><p> </p><p>She froze and then smiled a tiny, apologetic smile. “Sorry, Hinata, I’ll talk to you later!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned at the way the guy seemed to be almost talking down to Yachi, once she had gone to his side at the table, and even more so at the way she seemed to shrink in on herself and frantically gathered up the plates from the table.</p><p> </p><p>He considered going over to say something, but Yachi had already vanished into the back of the café, and it would do no good to get her into trouble at work. Briefly, Hinata missed his younger self, who would have marched over without a second thought.</p><p> </p><p>Something else caught his eye, distracting him from his thoughts: Somebody slouching behind a laptop in the corner.</p><p> </p><p>This time there was no hesitation as Hinata walked over to Kenma. The only indication the man gave that he was aware of Hinata’s presence was a sole glance in his direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you free to explore now?”, Hinata blurted without preamble.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma shrugged, closed his laptop, and stretched like a sleepy cat. “Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>A few hours later, Kenma seemed bemused.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Hinata asked when he had had enough of Kenma’s unexplained smirking.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s nothing. You give interesting tours, is all.” Kenma had his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He was less worn out that Hinata expected from him, given the long walk they had just undertaken.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re ignoring all of the big meaningful cultural areas and historical tourist sites. Instead, you’ve shown me a shop because the guy who works there has a cool dog, and an empty court on a tiny beach.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared. “Yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma shook his head. His hair, gathered into a loose bun today, bobbed behind him. “You’re a pretty interesting guy, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked, unsure what to make of that. He forgot Kenma’s words entirely when he spotted the walls encircling the villa drawing closer. “We’re nearly there, now.”</p><p> </p><p>“How far away is nearly there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not much farther.”</p><p> </p><p>That Kenma was more athletic than he had anticipated despite his slender build, if the walk was anything to go by, didn’t mean much when he didn’t seem to have the will to put it to use. Hinata had dragged him over to the small court on their journey. When he had tried to serve the ball- the one he had left there after his short session with Yamaguchi- Kenma had merely watched as it hit the sand next to him, much to Hinata’s chagrin.</p><p> </p><p>After their day of activities, as evening closed in Hinata had decided to show Kenma the outhouse and the view from the villa: A calming way to end the day. Not that they really needed it, with how calm and quiet Kenma was. Hinata liked him, but he couldn’t quite work him out. He was different than most other people Hinata had ever met.</p><p> </p><p>As they made their way to the top of the hill and passed through the courtyard, Hinata noticed that it was more alive than he had previously seen it. A family with two small children were standing about talking, and Kyoutani was repainting a wall that had gone dry and cracked with age and heat. He waved at Kyoutani as he walked by. Hanamaki and Matsukawa also appeared, from around the corner of the building, and he dodged their outstretched arms as they attempted to ruffle his hair.</p><p> </p><p>Once they made it into the outhouse, the door swinging open lightly under his touch- they clearly still hadn’t fixed his lock- Hinata called; “Well, this is it. I’m home!”</p><p> </p><p>His words echoed back at him from the four walls, and Kenma stared at him expressionlessly. Hinata faltered slightly. Previously, Kenma had seemed most interested whenever he talked about volleyball, although that could have been wishful thinking on his part, or simply his own enthusiasm reflecting back at him.</p><p> </p><p>So, hoping to prompt conversation, he pointed out all of the awards and trophies scattered around the room, going into detail as to which one was won where, and for what.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, running out of words, he sat on the couch, feeling slightly awkward, while Kenma looked around. Kenma didn’t wander like Oikawa had, or hover by the door like Shigeru; he stood just off-center, hands in his pockets, turning slowly as he took in the entire space. Hinata had the feeling he was being assessed, too.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… I’m impressed by your dedication to the sport”, Kenma said, after a long silence. Hinata puffed his chest up proudly. “Although… Why did you choose to bring them here?”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re the thing I’m most proud of!” What he didn’t say, what he wasn’t even sure how to put into words, was that they were also reminders that he had once played, of how hard he had fought to win them, nearly as important to him as the photos of his family and friends alongside them.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma gave him a baffled look but continued to inspect the room with little further comment.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, he stood back, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, and said, his voice low and calm; “This place suits you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Um…” Hinata let his gaze trail about the ramshackle building. “Thank you?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma turned to him, continuing as though Hinata hadn’t spoken. “I might change my mind about staying here if I come back, though, if all of the rooms are as cluttered as yours.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re not! Some of the other rooms are really nice!” Or, at least, the bedding was nice, and from the few glimpses Hinata had seen of the rooms, they were clean and spacious. “I’m only in the outhouse because I wanted to stay cheap and I said I didn’t care where they stuck me since I won’t be here for long.”</p><p> </p><p>“You say you’re only here temporarily.” Kenma tilted his head slightly. “How long is not long?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked down at where his hands were linked in his lap. “I… I’m not actually sure. I don’t have a return date, yet. I’m enjoying myself now, but the plan was only to stay for as long as I was having fun and then buy a ticket home.” He looked up in order to smile at Kenma. “So I guess when I stop having fun.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma gave him a strange look. Hinata couldn’t be sure, but he thought his eyes had widened slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“I had better get going”, he said.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jumped to his feet. “Do you want me to walk you back to town?”</p><p> </p><p>“No… I’ll be okay, I remember the way. Just follow the road until we get to the turnoff where the docks are, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” He walked to the door behind Kenma, prepared to shut it and drag something behind the door in lieu of a lock once the other man had left. “See you around, Kenma!”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma stopped just outside the door and then turned back to Hinata. The steps up to the main villa behind him were almost invisible where the sky overhead had already turned dark, and any light from the setting sun was interrupted by the roof of the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>“You have this look, sometimes,” Kenma spoke abruptly.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Hinata’s brain scrambled back over their previous conversations, attempting to find a sequitur to that sentence.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s like you’re waiting for something.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata cocked his head, eyes wide. “What do you mean? Waiting for what?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know. Yachi and I watched a couple of your games at the café. I talked to her the other day after you left. She’s nice.” Kenma shrugged. His voice was almost a hypnotic lull as he continued. “She was curious, so I said we could look it up together. The look on your face when the ball is about to head your way and you’re waiting for it- it’s the same look you had here, too, when we were looking around today. Like you’re waiting for something to happen.”</p><p> </p><p>Well. Kenma was clearly a very strange guy. Not that that should be a surprise: This island seemed to attract oddities, Hinata decided, himself included.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just a thought.” Kenma shrugged again, a languid rolling of the shoulders under his dark hoodie. “Next time we do this, I’d like to see more wildlife. This place has some beautiful nature, apparently. I think you’d enjoy it, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked. All of his conversations with Kenma so far had involved him being completely blindsided by each new bit of information Kenma chose to share. He focused in on the last couple of sentences, feeling that at least was an area he could work with.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure!” He smiled and waved. “Bye, Kenma!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was really going to have to learn more about the island.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Q: Where does Hinata keep getting his endless supply of volleyballs from?</p><p>A: To be honest, your guess is as good as mine.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Kenma Is Rich</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata woke up at five am, on purpose.</p><p> </p><p>It was nearing the end of his second week at the villa and a restless feeling had been building up like a ball in the pit of his stomach, especially over the past few days. The reason for it was something that he had complained about endlessly to Yamaguchi and Yachi and Kenma- when he was there- at the café, to the point where he was sure they had to be fed up with him.</p><p> </p><p>He missed work. Or, not so much work, since volleyball had never really been work for him anyway. It was more the knowledge that what he was doing was something that had a positive impact on people. Exploring was fun and all, and it was good to take a break and have fun, but Hinata missed feeling purposeful. Maybe he was going to have to go into coaching, after all, he thought to himself as he stood under the cold water of the shower.</p><p> </p><p>Wandering into the main hotel at just gone six, Hinata found everything was mostly quiet, and the few electric lights overhead were still off. He had been inside the entry hall before, only usually it was filled with the sunlight that poured in from the large windows on the wall opposite the large wooden doorway. The small reception room coming off of the tiled hall was still and dark.</p><p> </p><p>He stepped forward, listening to his footsteps echoing in the empty space. Beyond the reception, two hallways branched off in different directions, one to the left and one to the right. To the left was the dining room and the kitchen; peering to the right, it looked as though there were mostly guest rooms, nondescript wooden doors lining down either side of the corridor.</p><p> </p><p>Hearing the clinking of a plate, Hinata turned left and then left again into the dining area.</p><p> </p><p>Inside the lanterns along the wall were lit, illuminating the room in a dim glow. Halfway down, moving among the tables and chairs, were Shigeru and Kyoutani. As Hinata watched, Shigeru draped a white tablecloth over one table, then reached for a plate from a stack on one of the other tables. Kyoutani set out cutlery from a small woven basket sat beside him.</p><p> </p><p>When he entered, the two of them glanced up and chorused; “Good morning.”</p><p> </p><p>Reminded of the early hour, Hinata yawned. “Morning. Have either of you heard from Watari?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged, pausing in his work. “He messaged to say he got there okay the other day, but I haven’t heard much from him since. He doesn’t normally when he’s spending time with his family.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari had left the evening before for the mainland with his mother and siblings; Hinata had run into him on his way back from town. The shaved-haired young man had explained that his father had just come back from a trip, so they were going to spend some time together.</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Hinata breezed past them, not wanting to linger and disrupt their routine further. He went through the door on the right-hand side, just before the last row of tables that leaned against the benches which ringed the walls, and out into the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning, Oikawa.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Good morning, Hinata.” Oikawa pivoted towards him, a spoon in one hand and an apron on. His sleeves were bunched up, and a couple of pots bubbled on top of the stove behind him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shrugged. “I just wanted to come and see if there was anything that I could do to help out around here.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa stood still for a moment, then smiled. “Well… If you really want to, you can chop those over there for me.” He nodded towards a chopping board where a couple of onions sat.</p><p> </p><p>“W-”</p><p> </p><p>“Knives are in the drawer just to your right.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata pulled open the drawer, which rattled and wobbled uncertainly, and plucked out a knife that seemed non-threatening. While he was used to cooking for himself, he had never exactly been the best at it, and he felt a flutter of worry that, even chopping onions, he wouldn’t live up to the standards Oikawa expected.</p><p> </p><p>As he chopped away on the board- which, Hinata noted with minor delight, was shaped like a cloud- they fell into a comfortable silence, punctuated only with the sound of Oikawa’s occasional tuneless whistling and the metallic ring of the trashcan whenever Hinata turned to discard the shell of the onion. The kitchen was warm with steam rising from the oven, and Hinata tried not to rub at his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks”, Oikawa said when Hinata turned to give him the onions, scraped into the bowl which had sat beside the cutting board. He tossed them into a pan, then eyed his guest speculatively. “What’s brought this on, all of a sudden? Are you after a discount on your rent?”</p><p> </p><p>“No!”, Hinata blustered, waving his hands defensively in front of himself. “I just-”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa laughed and ruffled his hair with one hand. “Only joking. You’re a sweet guy, Hinata. I know you’re not thinking that way when you offer to help.”</p><p> </p><p>When Oikawa turned to wash his hands, Hinata hunched over, feeling distinctly little brother-ed.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru drifted into the kitchen, followed by Kyoutani. The two of them stopped and leaned against the cabinets by Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m making tea”, Shigeru announced. He flicked the switch on the kettle.</p><p> </p><p>“Careful, the kettle’s broken”, murmured Oikawa.</p><p> </p><p>“I know, it’s been broken for ages.” He frowned, his voice dropping in a tone that was almost petulant. “I wish we actually had money, then maybe things would get fixed properly around here.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani snapped; “I do my best.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru sighed. “Yeah, I know you do, but you don’t have the tools or materials to work with because we <em>can’t afford them</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>As if to accentuate his point, he slapped at the kettle, and the lid flew up. He yelped as hot water splashed out and onto his hand.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gasped. He felt frozen to the spot as if the roots from his nightmare of the villa had grown up and encased his body.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa immediately dropped his spoon and turned to his son. “Shigeru!” He raced to the sink and turned the tap on. “Hold it under cold water, quick.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru did as he was told, marching over to the sink and holding his hand under. Kyoutani followed him, hovering at his elbow so that, between him and Oikawa, Hinata's view of Shigeru was blocked..</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine.” Shigeru shuffled back into view, glanced at his fiancé, then looked back at his hand and scowled. “Sorry, that was me being stupid. But it was just a few drops, nothing to worry about.”</p><p> </p><p>Oiawa frowned. “It’s not nothing, you could have been seriously hurt. Do you need to hold it under the tap for longer?” When his son didn't answer, he reached forward. “Let me see.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re meant to hold it under for a while, though, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“You can put it straight under again after, I just want to look.” Oikawa kept his hand held out palm-up, and after a moment Shigeru placed his own on top of it.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa took his son’s hand and gently brushed his thumb over it. Taking a step closer, Hinata spied a few spots where it looked as though the area was reddening slightly, but otherwise it did seem fine. Shigeru let his father fuss over him for a few moments before pulling his hand away and putting it back under the faucet.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine. Your pot is about to boil over.”</p><p> </p><p>The doubt on Oikawa’s face was replaced by fear as he started and quickly turned back to the burners.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru continued; “Hinata, do you think you could help Kyoutani with finishing laying the tables while I'm out here?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded assent and followed Kyoutani back to the dining hall. The two worked in relative silence. It was only several minutes more before Oikawa announced that breakfast was ready, and Hinata helped carry the food out: Just enough for the four of them. Watari had told Hina, when he joined them for breakfast a couple of days previously, that the guests’ breakfast didn’t start until seven, so they would eat before then, clean up, and then lay out the buffet.</p><p> </p><p>“No Hanamaki or Matsukawa today?”, he noted, glancing about as they tucked in.</p><p> </p><p>“They don’t always join for breakfast”, Shigeru said. Hinata saw his burned fist was balled on the table, and it was still slightly red in places, although it hadn’t worsened. Kyoutani was also staring at it and, as Hinata watched, he reached and took Shigeru’s other hand under the table.</p><p> </p><p>“Those two probably had a late night…” Oikawa picked at his food and spoke musingly. “For all they like to hang around and bug me, they often disappear off and leave me by myself.” He sighed somewhat melodramatically.</p><p> </p><p>“Nobody feels sorry for you”, said Kyoutani. He had almost finished his plate already.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Oikawa poked a finger at Kyoutani. “Ungrateful brat.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is why they’re probably not here, they’ve gotten fed up with you.” Although his words were harsh, Hinata felt had gotten to know the blond boy better since their match, and if he was right Kyoutani wasn’t truly as irritated as he seemed.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa didn’t seem to take it to heart either. Smirking, he said; “Remind me why I’m letting you join my family, again.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not joining, he’s already here”, replied Shigeru, and Oikawa chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata did feel a little out of place, in the dim room with just the four of them. While he was happy he had come to help, the fact was that they were a family, and he was just their temporary lodger.</p><p> </p><p>He was relieved when Kyoutani turned to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to eat those mushrooms?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked down at his plate. “I was planning to.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani grunted.</p><p> </p><p>“Those are his favorites”, said Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah…” Hinata nodded. “You can have them if you really want, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata! You don’t have to”, Oikawa scolded. “Kentarou, stop stealing from our guest.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring him, Hinata leaned over and tipped his plate slightly, scraping the mushrooms off with a chopstick. “Here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” Kyoutani kept his head low and didn’t meet Hinata’s eyes, although they did briefly flicker in his direction. Shigeru was smiling between them both.</p><p> </p><p>“There are more in the kitchen, Kyoutani, but those are for the guests, so if I see you’ve picked at them I’m not going to be very happy.” Oikawa leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. He was still wearing the apron, and it bunched up in the front slightly when his shoulders tensed. “I’ll make some more for you tomorrow if you want some, I didn’t know you liked my cooking that much.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t”, Kyoutani said. “I just wanted mushrooms.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mushrooms are good”, Hinata added, the words sounding lame in his own ears.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa hummed and relaxed his arms. “You must have missed real Japanese food in Brazil.”</p><p> </p><p>“They have quite a large Japanese community there, so it was easy to find food that was similar to the stuff at home. But not all of it was quite the same.”</p><p> </p><p>“The old couple who used to own the place taught dad to cook”, Shigeru said, and then leaned forward to whisper; “He didn’t know any before coming here.”</p><p> </p><p>“I knew a lot.” Oikawa glared at Shigeru, his eyes glowing with the pinpoint reflections of the lamps. "But they did teach me a lot of local dishes, and some from abroad. I’ll have to make some for you sometime, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes please!” He turned to Oikawa, eyes wide. “Oh, I meant to ask you! Would you like to come and have a game of volleyball with me later?”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa hesitated. “I’m pretty busy…”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru laughed. “Oh, come on, dad, I can manage things for an hour. You go take a break.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright.” A minute smile flitted across Oikawa’s face, then his expression hardened. “But later. After lunch. I need to make the beds and clean the rooms this morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t make my bed”, Hinata pointed out. He tucked the last of his breakfast into his mouth and regretted giving up the mushrooms.</p><p> </p><p>“That wasn’t in your letting agreement.”</p><p> </p><p>“Letting agreement?” He pouted slightly. “But I didn’t sign anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa merely laughed and ruffled his hair again, and Hinata relaxed under his touch, feeling like less of an outsider.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“So Shigeru told me you used to be a setter”, Hinata said, later that afternoon, as he and Oikawa stood by the side of the court tucked away in the cove. The sea was rough today; although the waves hadn’t come in too close yet, the sun glinting off of them at various angles hurt his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I was indeed”, Oikawa answered proudly. He was holding the ball, alternately spinning it in his hands and rubbing the surface under his palms. “I was the best setter in the district. Won an award and everything.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had figured they were roughly the same age, perhaps a few years apart, but he didn’t remember hearing about a guy named Oikawa. He didn’t say that, however. Perhaps Oikawa was simply older than he had first thought: He would have been young when Shigeru was born if he really was around Hinata’s age, probably only about eighteen or so.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright”, Oikawa announced, and Hinata wondered if perhaps he had been captain of his team, “let’s have a practice run.”</p><p> </p><p>When he tossed the ball, it was a little high for Hinata, but not completely out of reach, and he adjusted to it easily enough. As he jumped, he noted from the corner of his eye that Oikawa’s form was very good, even reminiscent of some of the guys he played with and against in Brazil.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa had a concentrated look on his face that Hinata hadn’t seen before. His eyes were like steel. Almost immediately after Hinata landed on his feet, Oikawa said; “Let’s try again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay!” A tiny chill ran across Hinata’s body: The intensity in Oikawa’s eyes appeared to reflect the way he felt about volleyball, which was something he hadn’t expected to find in anybody here.</p><p> </p><p>The next time Oikawa served for him, he tossed it just right. Hinata sent it slamming into the sand, not really aiming at any particular spot when there were no opponents to maneuver about, merely enjoying the thrill of the ball meeting his hand. It really was a perfect toss. Stunned, Hinata realized that Oikawa must have picked up on the tiny adjustments he made to his spike to hit the previous throw.</p><p> </p><p>“For someone who hasn’t played since he was a teenager, you’re good”, he huffed.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t say I hadn’t played at all; I do play around out here occasionally when I’m free. Which feels like less and less of the time now.” Oikawa laughed, hands on his hips. “I put this court up with one of my friends when I first came to the island, and I used to play every day with him and Hanamaki and Matsukawa. A couple of other friends from town, too.” A faraway look took over his face, and he only shook it off when Hinata scampered away after the ball.</p><p> </p><p>They practiced several more spikes, each one more satisfying than the last, and then Oikawa offered to show Hinata his ‘killer serve’. Hinata nodded enthusiastically and then gaped as Oikawa leaped high, sending the ball flying over the net. It wasn’t completely perfect; Hinata could tell he was a little rusty in the way he landed slightly off-balance. Yet he still could not believe that, even with the injury that apparently cut Oikawa’s career short, he had never heard of Oikawa.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re incredible!”, he enthused after he retrieved the ball.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” Oikawa gave a small, tight smile, slouching slightly with his hands in the pockets of his shorts.</p><p> </p><p>Their playing devolved to the two of them tossing the ball back and forth across the net, falling into a simple rhythm. Hinata barely noticed the time passing, focusing so hard on the ball that it was a shock to him when Oikawa broke the silence.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve made some friends, I’ve noticed.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked across at Oikawa as he went to toss the ball back. He must mean Yamaguchi and the kids. “Oh, yes. There are some really nice people here.”</p><p> </p><p>“And I’ve seen that you’ve been bringing a guy up to the outhouse the last few nights”, he probed.</p><p> </p><p>Ah. His words sunk in slowly.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not like that”, Hinata said, waving his arms and almost missing the ball when Oikawa sent it back in his direction. “That’s Kenma, he’s here on business. We just hang out and watch videos together.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a shame.” Oikawa’s voice was level, his eyes trained on the ball spinning towards him. “I heard he’s rich.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma? Rich? Hinata laughed. Sure, he was here on business, but just because he worked for some corporation didn’t make him rich. Whenever Hinata saw him, he was always wearing the same dark, comfortable-looking hoodie. Only, then he recalled Kenma paying for dinner last night when they got takeout without batting an eyelid.</p><p> </p><p>“So you haven’t got your eye on anyone?”, Oikawa hummed, sounding almost disappointed, and tilted his head. “What about Yamaguchi? He’s a bit odd but harmless. That’s why I let him stick around. I feel bad for him, in a way, although it is kind of his own fault.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scrunched his nose up, only to realize that the ball was falling a meter to his left, something that was surely intentional on Oikawa’s part- he had very good control- and launched himself towards it, sending it flying back.</p><p> </p><p>He watched it launch up against the sky, the colors dancing against the blue, up and up like a balloon. “I’m actually asexual.” The term tasted strange on his tongue, and he felt a bit guilty even using that word, like a fake.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. Some people who are asexual still have romantic relationships though, right?”, asked Oikawa, and Hinata shrugged, remembering the few crushes he had experienced. That made sense, although he wasn’t sure whether that was something he would want to explore, even theoretically with someone as nice as Yamaguchi or Kenma. People usually had certain expectations for romantic relationships, after all, ones he probably couldn’t meet.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s confusion returned as he remembered Oikawa’s other words. “How do you know all of this stuff, anyway? Have you met Kenma?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Oikawa sent the ball back again. “But, don’t you know, I know everything about everyone on this island.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata returned it and had the odd feeling, all of a sudden, that Oikawa was building up to ask him something.</p><p> </p><p>His suspicions were confirmed when Oikawa caught the ball in one hand, holding it out in front of him with his other hand on his hip and his eyes sharp above the ball.</p><p> </p><p>He said; “We’re having a big group of guests coming soon, but Makki and Matsun and I are so busy with repairs, and we’re all trying to arrange things for the wedding as well as doing our normal work. Shouyou, do you think you could show them around?”</p><p> </p><p>“Me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. I know you don’t know this area very well, but you’re a friendly guy. I’m sure you’ll be fine. And I don’t expect you to do it for free, of course.” Oikawa’s smile widened. “I’ll halve your rent for the month.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered. The rent money wasn’t really a big deal; he had savings and could afford it without too much worrying. And Oikawa was right; he really didn’t know the area at all. Trying to show a group of people around somewhere that he himself was unfamiliar with was bound to backfire.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was watching him, his smile faltering slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure”, Hinata said, “I’ll do it.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>As had become a habit with him, after dinner Hinata sat on the steps of the villa and watched the sunset, then started his walk to the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>He paused when he saw Hanamaki and Matsukawa, for the first time that day. The two of them were hauling a mattress between them, walking up the top of the hill red-faced. Hanamaki’s strawberry hair was matted to his forehead with sweat.</p><p> </p><p>He bounded over to them. “Need a hand?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, thanks”, Hanamaki huffed, “but you don’t have to.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was still motivated, so he ignored him in favor of reaching under the middle, where the mattress sagged and hoisted it up.</p><p> </p><p>The two paused, exchanging looks, and then the three of them started moving in unison.</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa commented; “For a little guy, you’re strong.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bit back his frustration at the words. “Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>Hananaki and Matsukawa smirked at each other, and before he could ask what that look was for, they were lifting it up so it was almost at their shoulders, sticking high up in the air like the sail of a catamaran. Hinata had to reach up to keep a hold of it, and they laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, onwards march!”, Hanamaki cried in a mockery of a general, before adding in an aside; “We’re taking it to the main rooms.”</p><p> </p><p>“We had to get this new one for some room because somebody puked on the old one in there”, said Matsukawa.</p><p> </p><p>“Fucking tourists.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did they not clear it up?”, Hinata asked as they wobbled their way across the courtyard. He glanced back every few seconds, worried about Matsukawa’s long stride catching him up.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope”, the man behind him answered. “Watari was the one saddled with that task. Probably why he chose to run off back to the mainland.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki shook his head. “It was due replacing anyways, but I think that kind of sealed the deal.”</p><p> </p><p>They struggled their way up the steps, and Hinata aided Matsukawa in sliding the mattress into the entrance hall. It went with surprisingly little resistance. Kyoutani was sat in recaption, and he nodded at them when they entered.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll take it from here, Hinata”, Hanamaki said, leaning one hand against the mattress.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, the room’s just around the corner. Kyoutani will help us if we need it, right Kyoutani?”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani didn’t look up from his phone. “Hm.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded and walked away, looking back to see Matsukawa sliding the mattress down so it lay flat on the floor and then flopping on top of it, and Hanamaki kicking him in the shin.</p><p> </p><p>He made it back to the outhouse just in time for his Skype call with Natsu.</p><p> </p><p>Their online chats had been one of the major reasons he had been able to survive all those years in Brazil. It was strange, now, being able to talk while in the same time zone.</p><p> </p><p>His little sister’s face filled the screen, bright and happy as always. Everybody always said the two of them were alike in both looks and personality, and Hinata took it as a grand compliment: She had always been vivacious, a strong character.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, how’s life? How are you? How are mom and Hotaru?”, he asked as he settled down on the bed, his back to the living area.</p><p> </p><p>“Life’s good, we’re all good.” She nodded, chuckling at his barrage of questions and brushing a stray strand of hair back into her short ponytail. “How is it there? Your room looks cozy.”</p><p> </p><p>He relayed to her all the details about the island and the people he had met that had stuck in his head. By the time he was done talking, the light outside had nearly completely vanished.</p><p> </p><p>“It sounds nice”, she commented when he was finished.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not all good.” He frowned. “A goat stole my sandal.”</p><p> </p><p>Natsu laughed. “Well, it sounds interesting, at least.”</p><p> </p><p>The faint now-familiar sounds of music blasting reached his ears. They were early tonight, although he supposed it was the weekend.</p><p> </p><p>On the screen, his sister tilted her head. “What’s that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you can hear it on your end?” She nodded. “It’s just the island bar. I found it one night, after hearing the music.” Hinata grinned. “It scared me a bit, I wasn’t expecting to find people dancing around in the woods. It’s mostly for the locals, apparently.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you go have fun?”, asked Natsu. “You can make some friends. Or take… Kenma, or… Was it Yamaguchi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe. If I can convince one of them to come with me. For now, though, I need sleep. I’m not that young anymore, I’m tired.” Hinata yawned and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop making excuses, you’re not old. You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, well, I’m still not going without someone else. Some of the guys there seemed scary.”</p><p> </p><p>Natsu raised her eyebrows. “Scary how?”</p><p> </p><p>“Crazy hair.” Hinata remembered the one guy who tried to talk to him, as he crouched in the bushes. He was definitely creepy, and Hinata thought that even seeing him in the daylight probably wouldn’t make much difference. His mind flitted to the others, the bodies painted amber by the fire. “And a lot of them didn’t have shirts on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’s scary.” She smiled. “When are you going to be back?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know yet”, he admitted. “I’m just relaxing and taking my time. I am starting to get a little bored… But I promised my host I’d help him with some of the tourists coming in, so I’ll see what that’s like.”</p><p> </p><p>At that, she cackled. “Shouyou the tour guide. You'll need an umbrella.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” He leaned back against his blankets, stifling another yawn. His early morning was catching up to him. “I’ll need to remember how to say things in Japanese.”</p><p> </p><p>Natsu seemed to take the hint. "Well, you can't speak volleyball forever." She sighed. "I’d better go soon. But… We’re all missing you at home. Everyone says hello.”</p><p> </p><p>“I miss you guys, too”, Hinata said, and he really did. “I love you. Goodnight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Goodnight.”</p><p> </p><p>The screen went dark, and Hinata lay back on his bed with his eyes closed for several long minutes before he finally summoned the energy to get ready for bed.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Fukiage Is Related But We Don't Know How</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I said I was meant to update this about a week ago but life sort of got in the way, and I didn't want to upload this until I was happier with it, sorry about that.</p><p>Yep, Dateko are appearing in this chapter! They're one of my two favorite teams, and my other favorite team will also be appearing very soon. I'm very much a planner and in my head this chapter is sort of the beginning of the second 'part' of the story, where Hinata begins to fit in at the villa and learn more about the way everything runs on the island, as well as introducing a few more of the character we all know and love.</p><p>Also, as a side note, I don't really ship Futakuchi and Nametsu- if anything, I see them more as having a sibling-like relationship, and I was originally going to have Futakuchi marrying Nametsu's sister or cousin- but I found the idea of Dateko as a bachelor's party too funny, and I do love their dynamic a lot. It's only going to be a small part of the story though, sorry.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Driving the van for the first time, down to the docks to pick up the bachelor party group, was both liberating and a little intimidating.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa had helped arrange insurance for Hinata to drive it, for work purposes only, and he felt the weight of that trust in him on his shoulders as it trundled down the highway through the trees towards the main town. Now that he was in the drivers’ seat, he could feel the way the van rocked at each slight turn and how the gears ground slightly when he changed up or down, and he grit his teeth as he took the sharp turn out of the forest by the café.</p><p> </p><p>As he passed the docks, he spotted several groups milling around with their bags. A ferry, similar to the one he himself had come in on, was tied up at the wooden platform.</p><p> </p><p>He was late.</p><p> </p><p>Cursing, Hinata drove further along and pulled up close to where Kyoutani had parked before, when they went to the beach to play volley, and then made to dash back along the length of the promenade before realizing he had forgotten his sign.</p><p> </p><p>Once he had retrieved that, he speed-walked to where the groups were clustered. The day was warm and tiny particles of hot sand kicked up around his ankles.</p><p> </p><p>There were several parties milling about, yet only one seemed to fit the description of what he was looking for: A group of tall young men, no women or children among them. Hinata dodged around a group of schoolchildren who were gathered around their frazzled-seeming teacher, a woman with a brown bob and an exasperated expression, and found himself wishing that they were the ones he would be collecting instead: The men in front of him were huge, some even bigger than the largest of his former teammates, and as he got closer they seemed to him to be giants.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had faced worse, though, so he merely swallowed, raised his sign, and called out; “Hey! I’m Hinata! Are you guys the bachelor's party I’m supposed to be meeting?”</p><p> </p><p>In unison, they turned to look at him, faces blank.</p><p> </p><p>After a moment, one guy with messy black hair replied; “I believe so.”</p><p> </p><p>Another man, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, muttered; “We’ve been standing here a while.”</p><p> </p><p>The man standing beside him- and Hinata had to refrain from staring in awe at the size of his muscles and his bleached hair- smacked the guy who had spoken around the back of the head and hissed; “Futakuchi, shut the fuck up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Futakuchi, you’re the groom, yes?”, Hinata asked, flapping the sign in his hands rather pathetically.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi met his gaze levelly. His eyebrows sat arched high on his forehead. “That’s me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hoped he was just grumpy from the journey.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool.” He turned back to the van and then pivoted the rest of the way around to face the group again, internally praising his strong calf muscles for the smooth rotation. “Well, um, I’ll just help you load your bags up into the van, and then we’ll be on our way to the villa. It’s really nice up there, you guys are going to love it.”</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the words had tripped over his lips, the men lifted their bags and began marching behind him in the direction of the vehicle, like a well-oiled machine. Hinata couldn’t help wondering whether they were perhaps part of the military or something, the way that they seemed to move together in unison.</p><p> </p><p>In any case, he seriously doubted that any of these guys were going to need his help.</p><p> </p><p>To his surprise, a shorter man with black hair was also tailing him; he hadn’t taken him for part of the same group initially. There was also a younger man, a teenager really, maybe around Shigeru’s age, who was tall but gangly and sort of skittish, moving like a baby deer on ice. Just seeing him swinging his suitcase around had Hinata both panicking and also relaxing, that the entire group wasn't made up of men large enough to step on him.</p><p> </p><p>He had to suppress a chuckle when he spotted Yamaguchi several meters away, apparently headed in the direction of the café, paused just outside with his mouth hanging open. Hinata gave him a wave, and he waved back almost shyly before his eyes darted across to somewhere else and he frowned. Turning, Hinata saw that one of the schoolboys, one with blond hair and a devilish face, was also waving at Yamaguchi. The lady in charge of the schoolkids with the bob leaned over him and began to scold him.</p><p> </p><p>When they reached the van, Hinata opened the trunk and felt a wave of claustrophobia wash over him as the guys gathered around him, some of them raising their bags nearly over his head to throw them into the back.</p><p> </p><p>Trying to make himself useful, he spotted the short man and made his way over to help him, lifting one end of his suitcase.</p><p> </p><p>The man smiled. “Thank you.” And then he gasped.</p><p> </p><p>The only thing that prevented Hinata from being knocked out by a bag was his sharp reflexes, and he again thanked his own muscles when they pulled him backward, away from where another arm had joined his and was swinging the shorter man’s case through the exact spot which Hinata’s head had occupied moments before.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! I’m so sorry!”</p><p> </p><p>Blinking, Hinata looked around to see the gangly young man watching him with an expression of horror. Up close, it seemed he was maybe even a couple of years older than Shigeru: The only thing that made him appear younger was his hair, which was blond with a black fringe that stuck straight up at the front of his head like a rooster.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than responding as normal, Hinata gaped at the boy’s hair until the dark-haired man who had initially spoken to him rounded on them and cried; “Koganegawa, apologize!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata flapped his hands in front of him. “I’m okay, really. Just be careful with that, alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay!” The boy dropped the suitcase on his own foot and yelped. The short black-haired man immediately dashed forward to help him lift it off.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m really sorry about him”, the other guy mumbled his own apology, watching where Koganegawa and the shorter man slowly lifted the suitcase- at an almost forty-five-degree angle between them due to their height difference- and slowly, gently lowered it into the van. “He doesn't always know his own strength.” He turned to Hinata. “Thank you for picking us up. And again, sorry if some of us seem a little upset. We all come from a small town so we’re not used to long journeys. Especially not together.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a problem. It’s what I’m here for. To help you guys.”</p><p> </p><p>The man gave him a small smile and then went to haul his own case into the trunk.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swiveled to make his own way towards the drivers’ side, before thinking better of it and pausing to also open the side door to the other seats in the back. It would certainly be a bit of a squeeze, trying to fit everybody in, but he thought they would just about manage it.</p><p> </p><p>Turning back towards the front of the van, he stopped when he saw that somebody was standing behind him.</p><p> </p><p>It was the largest of the group: A man with pale hair, no eyebrows, and a torso so thick that if it began sprouting leaves Hinata wouldn’t be surprised. He leaned over Hinata, his face scrunched up as though he were trying to figure something out.</p><p> </p><p>“… Can I help at all?”, Hinata squeaked out, after a moment.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t reply. If anything, his face grew even more intimidating than before, curdling like milk. Hinata felt his stomach beginning to turn. Oh, how he cursed Oikawa at that moment.</p><p> </p><p>Luckily, just then Futakuchi appeared, nudging the taller man in the side with his elbow and hissing; “Come on, stop staring, it’s rude.”</p><p> </p><p>The man said nothing but followed Futakuchi and the rest of the group into the side of the van, all of them pouring inside and vanishing with the slam of a door.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was relieved to find that the dark-haired man, who seemed to him to be not so threatening as some of the others, sat next to him. He introduced himself as Moniwa.</p><p> </p><p>As he brought the engine to life and merged back onto the road that would eventually lead them to the villa, Hinata asked; “So how do you know Futakuchi?”</p><p> </p><p>In the background, he could hear the others all oohing and pointing out the same sights that had bewitched him on his first trip across that small corner of the island, yet which in spite of their beauty had grown to appear quite mundane. He struggled to listen in to what Moniwa was saying in response.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’ve all sort of known each other since school: When I say we come from a small town, it’s really small. And a lot of us work in the factory in town. But Futakuchi is actually marrying my cousin.” He twisted in his seat. “Kanji, there, is her brother. Well, step-brother. He’s a bit younger than us. He wasn’t going to come originally, but, well, I promised to keep an eye on him.” The expression on his face was one of regret.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded and explained a little about how he came to be doing work at the villa for Oikawa. Moniwa smiled politely whenever Hinata glanced in his direction. After what felt like an hour of rambling, he fell silent.</p><p> </p><p>The drive seemed both extremely long and incredibly quick as Hinata’s mind raced to think of something else to talk about.</p><p> </p><p>“This island really is something”, he said, although he himself felt that he had barely explored a quarter of it. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and focused on the road; it had been some time since he had driven anywhere. “So what made Futakuchi pick here for your trip?”</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t tell you, honestly. I think mostly that it was cheap.” Moniwa laughed. “And it's known for its nature, I guess. Futakuchi isn’t much of a big nature guy, but Aone is- that’s his best man.” He gestured to the scary eyebrow-less guy. “Aone isn’t all that…” He paused and considered his next words, testing them on his tongue and stuttering slightly before forcing himself. “Outgoing. I have a feeling Futakuchi might have chosen this place to set him at ease a bit, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. That’s nice of him.”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa shrugged. “He isn’t always nice, but he’s always looked out for Aone.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jumped when a hand landed on the back of his chair, and he glanced around to see the muscular man from before leaning over from his seat, just behind Hinata’s. “Futakuchi is never nice. He’s a bastard.”</p><p> </p><p>“Stop it”, said Moniwa.</p><p> </p><p>The guy next to him, behind Moniwa, waved and said; “Ignore him. I’m Sasaya. I think I’m maybe the only normal one here. Well, Obara too, maybe, but I don’t know him that well.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was struggling to keep up with all the names. Which one was Obara, again? “Oh. Um. Are you also related?”</p><p> </p><p>The man behind him, still clutching the seats, shook his head and announced; “I’ll give you a quick rundown of everyone.” Moniwa sighed, and a bolt of nerves struck Hinata. “I’m Kamasaki. Me and Sasaya are friends with Moniwa, but we grew up with Moniwa and Nametsu- Futakuchi’s bride to be- and we’re like family really. Koganegawa is her actual family; he’s her brother. I still can’t believe she’s marrying Futakuchi.” He shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, true love can be surprising”, Sasaya commented with a quirk of his eyebrows.</p><p> </p><p>“Surprising? I was shocked.”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa sighed. Hinata was beginning to think he did that a lot. “Stop insulting him. Nametsu is old enough to make her own decisions.”</p><p> </p><p>“I just don’t think he’s good enough for her. I don’t get it.”</p><p> </p><p>Sasaya snorted. “You don’t have to get it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway”, Moniwa cut in, his voice strained, “we’re all on the bride’s side. Oh, and Fukiage, too. He’s a really distant cousin of ours, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>“Even Nametsu said she didn’t know how you guys are related.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Moniwa nodded. “He’s related but we don’t know how. Everyone else is Futakuchi’s friends.”</p><p> </p><p>Turning in his seat- almost kneeling on the upholstery, and Hinata internally panicked, wondering how to tell the guests to stop climbing in the van, and was he allowed to do that, or would Oikawa be angry?- Sasaya peered across the back of the van. “It looks like Kogane's made a friend.”</p><p> </p><p>Glancing back in the mirror, Hinata noticed that the gangly young man- Koganegawa, Koganegawa, Koganegawa, he chanted in his head, in an effort to remember the name- was sitting beside the shorter man he had tried to help before.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad. Sakunami is a nice guy. I asked him to keep an eye on Kanji, too.” Moniwa hummed.</p><p> </p><p>As they neared the villa, Hinata spied the very rim of the bay where the net stood, and he felt a tingling in his palms. He wondered idly what the guys in the van with him would be like on the court, and tried to match them up to the various positions of a standard volley team.</p><p> </p><p>Sakunami would likely be the libero, he decided; something to do with how quietly observant he was, paying attention to Koganegawa as the boy rambled and quietly correcting him when the rest of the van fell silent. If there was one thing he knew about liberos, it was that they were observant. Or perhaps Moniwa, always supporting the team. He could definitely see Aone as a blocker, and Kamasaki as a spiker with those arms. Aone also had the observance but was too big for a libero. Futakuchi and Koganegawa and some of the others were a little harder to pin down. Setter? Middle blocker?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked and realized that he had almost missed the turnoff for the villa. At least none of the others noticed.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“So where are our rooms?”, Futakuchi asked abruptly when they dropped their bags in the entryway to the villa.</p><p> </p><p>“Um.” Hinata stared at the expectant faces watching him and then turned in the direction of the reception. Shigeru was sitting at the front desk, his head hunkered down as he scrolled through his phone and his fingertips drumming on the dark wood. “Wait here one moment.”</p><p> </p><p>He side-stepped across to lean on the desk.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru. Where are the room keys?”</p><p> </p><p>A pair of round eyes flickered up from underneath neatly-combed light brown bangs, and then back down again. “Keys?”</p><p> </p><p>A commotion behind him had Hinata swiveling his head, just in time to catch Moniwa steading a wobbling plant pot while Kamasaki yanked Koganegawa away by the neck of his shirt. Futakuchi, standing to one side, folded his arms and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked back to Shigeru, gripping at the edge of the desk with both hands.</p><p> </p><p>“What rooms are they staying in?”, he hissed.</p><p> </p><p>“Eight, nine and ten.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at him blankly. He couldn’t recall any of the doors being numbered.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru rolled his eyes, looking exactly his age for a second, and then said; “They’re the three rooms at the end of the corridor on the top floor if you go up the main staircase.”</p><p> </p><p>He snatched some keys off of the hooks behind him and held them out, and Hinata dipped his head in gratitude before racing back to the others and repeating what Shigeru had told him.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me help you with your bags”, he added, reaching out for a couple of suitcases nearby.</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa raised an eyebrow under his mop of dark hair. “Are you sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” Hinata waved one hand. “I used to be a pro athlete, you know. I’ve got this.”</p><p> </p><p>Or, he did have it until they actually reached the stairs, at which point his breathing became labored. Those bags were much heavier than he had anticipated. The handles were cutting into his fingers, the hard plastic gnawing away at his skin with each staggering step. One of the suitcases clipped the staircase with a loud clattering noise, and Hinata flinched.</p><p> </p><p>Out of nowhere, the weight was lifted.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata peered around to see the scary one that was built like a polar bear- he racked his brains, and came up with a name: Aone, the best man- had lifted them away from him, and had them gripped in hands that were closer to giant paws.</p><p> </p><p>Without a word, he nodded to Hinata and continued past him up the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Okay then.” A wave of annoyance washed over him. Did Aone think he was weak? He had long since largely stopped caring about others’ opinions of him, yet the idea that somebody saw him as simply small and pathetic had niggled at the back of his mind ever since he had retired and lost his main way of proving that he was more than he seemed.</p><p> </p><p>So Hinata leaped up the stairs two at a time, joining Aone just at the top, and yanked one of the cases away from him.</p><p> </p><p>Aone frowned, only he didn’t speak. Instead, he let Hinata take the luggage away from him and followed him with no comment.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the group had already moved down to the corridor and Hinata ducked among them, removing the keys from the pocket of his hoodie as he neared the front. He almost ran over the feet of one of the guys whose name he hadn’t yet learned and cried an apology.</p><p> </p><p>Clustered at the end of the hallway were three doors: Two on either side facing each other, and the other one- number ten- at the end of the hallway. He could see the numbers now: Or rather, he could see the faint outlines etched in the wood of where the numbers had once been.</p><p> </p><p>“So, these are your rooms.” Hinata unlocked and threw open each door one by one. He wondered if he looked like a good host, if he was <em>being</em> a good host. He remembered Watari picking him up, his casual friendliness, and Oikawa’s detached interest when Hinata met him the next day, and attempted to emulate those attitudes.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, the rooms were basic but cozy, not so much light or open but clean. Each had a color scheme of creams and pale blues, although the walls were chipped and showing through grey in places. It reminded him of the sky outside. Hinata stared inside each one curiously.</p><p> </p><p>The bag he had taken was pulled from his hands as Futakuchi charged past into the biggest room. A few of the others followed him inside, including Aone, who moved like a hulking shadow in his stead.</p><p> </p><p>Throwing his arms wide open, the groom to be turned back and cried; “Man, check out that view!”</p><p> </p><p>It was indeed an incredible view. The large windows opposite the door looked out to the back of the villa, over the forest, but beyond the small patch of forest the land fell away, and the sea stretched off into the distance. Hinata thought that this was the stereotypical image that popped into someone’s head when you said ‘nature’: Woodland and water.</p><p> </p><p>He figured it was somewhere near where he and Yamaguchi had sat up on the roof that one evening, and peering into the room at the end of the hall, his suspicions were confirmed: Through that room’s window he could see the ledge below.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi had set his hands on his hips, and a contented smile lit up his face, eyes twinkling. Hinata thought he could perhaps see what his bride saw in him: Like that, he was handsome.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, me and the guys are claiming this one”, he announced. “Aone, what bed do you want?”</p><p> </p><p>Another one of the guys that Hinata hadn’t yet spoken with- a skinny man with wild black hair and strangely old-fashioned clothing- whooped and leaped onto one of the four beds inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, protested Kamasaki. “Who put you in charge of the rooms?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi snorted. “Mai, when she agreed to marry me. It’s my party.”</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki grumbled something under his breath but Moniwa gave him a look that silenced him.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, there are four beds in this one, too, that’s perfect.” Making his way back out to join the others, his movements marked by the creak of the floorboards, Futakuchi motioned to the bedroom across the hall. “You guys are family, you can all share.”</p><p> </p><p>“Four?”, asked Sasaya.</p><p> </p><p>“Moniwa, Kamasaki, Sasaya, Kanji.” He counted on his fingers. “Four.”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa nudged him. “What about Fukiage?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.”</p><p> </p><p>One of the tallest of the bunch looked around slightly awkwardly, and Hinata figured that had to be Fukiage.</p><p> </p><p>“And there are only four beds here, too”, Sasaya pointed out, staring into the room Futakuchi had just left.</p><p> </p><p>In eery unison yet again, they all turned to stare at the smallest room, the one tucked away at the end.</p><p> </p><p>“There are two beds in there”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Sakunamu pushed forward to peer inside as well. Hinata had almost lost track of him amidst the throng. “I don’t mind taking this one.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?”, asked another tall man, perched in the doorway. The one with old-fashioned clothes had skulked up behind him, and he nodded emphatically.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t wanna leave you out or anything.” Futakuchi scratched at the back of his head.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine”, said Sakunami. “Hey, Koganegawa, want to share with me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Koganegawa bolted out of nowhere, gangly limbs flailing. Hinata remembered what Moniwa had said about Sakunami keeping an eye on Koganegawa, and smiled slightly to himself as the two exchanged excited grins.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if you’re sure”, Moniwa said, with the tone of one who didn’t really want to argue.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s decided, then.” Kamasaki clapped his hands together. “Fukiage, come on, you’re with us. See ya, Koganegawa.”</p><p> </p><p>And then, just as swiftly, the group split: Futakuchi, Aone and the two men whose names Hinata still didn’t know headed to one side, whereas Moniwa, Kamasaki, Sasaya and Fukiage went the other way. Hinata was left standing in the hall with Sakunami and Koganegawa.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced down and saw that he still had the case in his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! That’s mine!” Koganegawa reached for it, and Hinata let him take it, wincing momentarily as the young man swung it in a wide arc to set it on its wheels. At least this time he didn't almost get hit.</p><p> </p><p>The two of them wandered inside the room, and Hinata hovered by the doorway, unsure of where else to go or if he should just leave them to unpack. As he watched, Sakunami calmly took a seat on one of the beds, and Koganegawa flopped onto the other before bouncing immediately upright.</p><p> </p><p>“This is so cool!” He rubbed the back of his head, and his straw-like locks stuck up even more than before. “Sorry if you wanted to stay with your friends, Sakunami… I know you probably didn’t want to get stuck with me. Oh, but it’s awesome of you to share with me! We’ll have fun, I promise!”</p><p> </p><p>Sakunami shook his head minutely, strands of hair falling in curtains around his face. “I’m not stuck with you. We will have fun together.”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa began to wander around the room, pausing to flip the lamp on and off and then doing the same with the light switch.</p><p> </p><p>A bright spark filled the room, and Hinata and Koganegawa grabbed a hold of each other momentarily, the two of them letting out startled yelps.</p><p> </p><p>At the sound of the racket, the others came running, crowding around the entrance to the room.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Kogane”, Sasaya said, half-scolding.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t mean to!”</p><p> </p><p>Sakunami was standing in the center of the room with the backs of his wrists folded against his hips, his nose scrunched up and his eyes trained on the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not his fault”, he said. “The bulb’s just blown, that’s all.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata disentangled himself from Koganegawa’s clutching hands. “I’ll go get another one. Actually, there might be some in my room. We keep a lot of stuff there.”</p><p> </p><p>“You keep lightbulbs in your room?”, Kamasaki asked with a snort.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s the outhouse.”</p><p> </p><p>Sakunami tilted his head. “You live in the outhouse?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt their eyes on him as they gave him bewildered stares.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! I'm sort of visiting here, too”, he attempted to explain. “Just down there!”</p><p> </p><p>He pointed through the window, where the shape of the outhouse’s roof rising above the small cliff was just visible. When he turned back to the others, they were exchanging looks.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll… Be right back.”</p><p> </p><p>He hustled down the stairs as quickly as his legs would carry him.</p><p> </p><p>Passing by the reception, Shigeru called out; “So, who got stuck with Room Ten?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at him. The boy was still looking at his phone, but he glanced up to meet the lodger’s gaze, and then back down.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?” Hinata racked his brains. “What’s so bad about Room Ten?”</p><p> </p><p>When Shigeru looked up again, he was smirking. “Nothing. Things just tend to get interesting in there.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Of course, it was Koganegawa and Sakunami’s room.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at the numbers on the door unhappily as he approached along the corridor, a bulb in hand: The faint pale outline loomed over him, growing bolder with each step.</p><p> </p><p>It was only a few minutes since he had left. Luckily, on the way down he’d ran into Matsukawa, who went to get one for him from a small store cupboard somewhere around the back of the villa; apparently where Oikawa had deposited all of the things he had cleared from the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>He found the group had already largely settled in. Moniwa and Sasaya were laughing at something in Kamasaki’s suitcase while Fukiage quietly unpacked his things. Across the corridor, Futakuchi and the two guys he didn’t recognize were transferring various items of clothing to drawers. Aone, standing near the door, met Hinata’s eyes as he walked by, and Hinata swiftly looked away from his fierce gaze. He nearly walked into Kamasaki, who was crossing to the other large room.</p><p> </p><p>One of the men whose name he didn’t know, whose name turned out to be Obara, followed him in and offered to hold a chair for him while he changed the bulb.</p><p> </p><p>His calloused fingers- made for spiking balls and nothing so delicate as fiddling with lightbulbs- betrayed him, and he balanced precariously as he managed to unscrew the old bulb, passing it down to Sakunami’s waiting hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry about this”, he murmured. "I swear the villa is a nice place to stay."</p><p> </p><p>“It’s no problem. Just be careful”, cautioned Obara. “I nearly went to grab your legs then, I thought you were going to fall.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, I have good balance. Strong thighs.”</p><p> </p><p>The sound of increasingly loud shouting from the other room had him distracted, and he once more fumbled the bulb he was attempting to screw in. It fell a few feet before landing in Sakunami’s outstretched hand.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, yes, he would be a libero.</p><p> </p><p>Frowning down at them, Hinata asked; “What are they yelling about?” He took the bulb from Sakunami's outstretched fingers.</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows, with them?”, Obara murmured. “They’ve always been like this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Koganegawa’s head wheeled about to look at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep. Even before Futakuchi and Nametsu even knew each other, he and Kamasaki used to fight in school all the time.”</p><p> </p><p>Sasaya entered the room, and when Hinata looked at him he saw that Sasaya was rolling his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“What are they arguing about?”, Obara asked before Hinata could.</p><p> </p><p>“Kamasaki thinks Futakuchi stole the toothpaste he packed because he can’t find it.”</p><p> </p><p>Obara raised an eyebrow at Sasaya, and he shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>The volume of the fight escalated as the two made their way into the corridor.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, Futakuchi was saying, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Somehow, on the boat, I snuck into your bag and stole your toothpaste.”</p><p> </p><p>“You would. And you kept complaining of toothache the whole ride over here!”</p><p> </p><p>“Keep talking, asshole, I still have a few brain cells left!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata, still perched on the chair, tried very hard to remember that he was doing this out of gratitude to Oikawa.</p><p> </p><p>There was a commotion, and Hinata turned just in time to see Kamasaki sending Futakuchi flying through the doorway with a particularly rough shove. He landed half on top of Sasaya, who scowled and pushed him away.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop it! Don’t jostle him!”, Moniawa yelped from outside, gesturing at Hinata and then, in desperation; “Aone!”</p><p> </p><p>The man appeared seemingly from nowhere, and Hinata had no idea how someone of that size could move as silently as he did. He grabbed Kamasaki’s arm with one hand, and Futakuchi with the other where the man was preparing to launch himself towards Kamasaki.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared as Aone met Futakuchi’s eyes and gave a tiny shake of his head. Miraculously, Futakuchi deflated, folding his arms but moving away to lean against one of the walls in Room Ten, letting his head hang down.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki tore himself away, stalking back into his own room.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Thank you”, Hinata murmured, and Aone nodded his head. There was no other change to his face that Hinata could tell, although he imagined that he saw its harsh lines softening somewhat.</p><p> </p><p>He managed to change the bulb successfully, following a couple of minutes of clumsy probing, and clambered down off of the chair.</p><p> </p><p>Once he was back on the safety of the floor, he spotted that Sakunami was grinning to himself. He had retreated to sit at the end of one of the beds, his hands loosely clasped in his lap, and had been watching the scene unfolding in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata threw him a curious look.</p><p> </p><p>“A lot of the guys here work in engineering at the local factory”, Sakunami explained his amusement. “Some in electrical engineering. It’s just funny that somebody else is changing a bulb for us, for once.”</p><p> </p><p>Well. Hinata supposed that was kind of funny, in a way. He returned Sakunami’s smile.</p><p> </p><p>He made his way back out into the corridor, surreptitiously wiping the dust from the lampshade that had migrated to his hands on his pants, prepared to tell the group he was going to be leaving them now.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Hinata!”, a voice called, and he turned to find Moniwa staring at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have any recommendations for places to visit around here?”</p><p> </p><p>His mind went back to what Oikawa had asked him to do. He was supposed to show them around, right? So surely this was part of his job, too.</p><p> </p><p>“There are a few cool places I can show you if you like. I can take you guys out in the van if it’s free.”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa's mouth dropped open a little, and he dipped his head. “That would be great. Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi sidled up to them, seemingly having perked up. “I heard there’s some good nightlife here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s mind automatically went to the villa bar. He wasn’t sure whether that was what these guys would have in mind or not.</p><p> </p><p>Appearing in one of the doorways, Obara shrugged. “The tourist strip is meant to have some fun places. We could check that out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Groovy”, said the one guy that Hinata still hadn’t been introduced to.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure”, said Hinata, “I can take you guys there if you’d like to go.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi leaned over him slightly. “Do you know it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I… I’ve been there before.” He didn’t say that it was just during the day, when the streets were filled with children clutching bags of candy from the small tourist stores, rather than people drinking.</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa frowned. “Are you sure we should?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s my bachelors’ party, come on.” Futakuchi elbowed him in the side. “It’ll be fun.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’ve gotta go with Moniwa on this one, I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi turned to the man he had been arguing with just moments before. Hinata was surprised to see that all of their previous fire had apparently evaporated: Although Futakuchi spoke teasingly, there was no bite behind his tone. “Kamasaki, for all of our differences, I thought you at least knew how to have fun. Come on, we’ll just go for a couple of drinks. Besides, Hinata’s with us.” He looked back over his shoulder. “You won’t let us get lost, will you, Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope! I can show you around, and I’m sure we’ll all have a good time.” Hinata hoped that they didn’t see that he was sweating.</p><p> </p><p>“See? That’s settled?” Futakuchi locked eyes with Aone, who was standing in the back of the loosely congregated group, staring intensely. “I know, I know, we can go to the nature reserve every other day, we’re here for a whole week. You’ll get to see your turtles, don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone nodded.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled to himself and then stopped when he caught Aone frowning at him. He decided that it was probably time to leave them to it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Koganegawa Is Missing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata had seen some stuff in Brazil that was fairly scandalous- or, at least, the kind of thing that would have been considered scandalous back in Japan- so the street full of spilled drinks, tourists yelling, the occasional brawl that broke out, all seemed tame in comparison. Still, he felt uncomfortable. He had not been in this kind of scene in a long time and he felt more than a little that he stood out; the short, bright-haired, modestly-dressed man. Especially since he was there with a group of guys he didn’t know very well.</p><p> </p><p>He found himself hovering just outside the open front to one club with Sakunami, Koganegawa, and Aone, while the others drank and danced inside. The music pounding from the bars on the strip- the majority of which were open-fronted like this one, so that their clientele poured out into the street and intermingled- clamored over each other. Although the night was cool, the heat of the bodies around them was making Hinata sweat.</p><p> </p><p>He could already feel a stomachache coming on.</p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t really our scene, either”, Sakunami said, his voice coming across in snatches over the beat of the music. Hinata had to strain to hear him. The shorter man indicated himself and then Aone, who stood solemn and silent as one of the poles that stood from floor to ceiling in the bar across from them. “And Moniwa won’t let Koganegawa drink, so we need to keep an eye on him.”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa himself was clearly restless, wanting to join in the fun; he smiled at the loud groups around them and stood up on his toes- not that he really needed to- to peer over the crowds. A few minutes ago a man had come up to them, all smiles, trying to promote one of the clubs, and Koganegawa had nearly followed him away before Sakunami gripped his arm while Aone stared the guy down. Hinata had waved an apology to the man and babbled an explanation about how they were just waiting for their friends, thank you.</p><p> </p><p>“… thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Hinata turned his head and found himself face to face with Kamasaki, who was grinning. He had one arm hooked about Sasaya’s neck, who was smirking slightly, and the other draped over Moniwa’s shoulders. Moniwa was bright red and his hair was sticking out all over the place, even messier than it had been earlier.</p><p> </p><p>“I said”, Kamasaki raised his voice, “Hey, Hinata, let us buy you a drink to thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank me for what?” Hinata tilted his head. “I haven’t done anything.”</p><p> </p><p>“For agreeing to show us around!”, Sasaya explained, and Moniwa nodded enthusiastically.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered. He wasn't really there to babysit them or anything; he had genuinely been interested in spending some time with other guests at the villa and, well, this group wasn't as terrifying as they initially appeared. “I guess I can have one drink.” Glancing across the dancefloor, he spotted where the others were loosely gathered at the bar. Only Futakuchi was looking in his direction, and his eyes were narrowed. Hinata gulped.</p><p> </p><p>“Can we come inside, too?”, Koganegawa asked.</p><p> </p><p>Sasaya looked at Kamasaki. Kamasaki looked at Moniwa.</p><p> </p><p>“You can come in”, Moniwa decided after a beat, and Koganegawa whooped. “You have to stay with Sakunami, though. Or Aone.”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa didn’t seem to hear him over his whooping.</p><p> </p><p>They pressed inside, between the dancers, until they reached the rest of their group. The drinks they wanted to buy Hinata were a round of shots, and before he knew it there were several empty shot glasses before him on the side, and then they were dancing under the pulsing lights.</p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t actually been here before”, Hinata confessed in a lull in the music. “Not at night, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>Obara raised an eyebrow at him. “I sort of figured that out when you took us down the wrong street earlier.”</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry."</p><p> </p><p>“It’s cool.” The tall man shrugged. “It was fun trying to read the map to get here. Glad you’re with us, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked around. Obara was giving him a kind smile, as was the other guy whose name he had not learned, although Futakuchi called him Pantalons, which Hinata doubted was his real name. He couldn't quite tell whether Obara was being sarcastic or not but from that smile, he thought he might be genuine. It was nice: Hinata was glad to have met a group he could spend time with, who knew as much about this place as he did. It was very nice of them to have treated him to alcohol. He ought to do the same for them.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to get us some more drinks”, he decided.</p><p> </p><p>At the bar, he perused the menu for a few minutes before admitting to himself that he had lost the ability to read it cohesively and have it stick in his brain long enough to make a decision.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll have some more shots please”, Hinata told the bartender, handing over what was surely enough money and then some more. Within seconds, a block lined with small glasses of dark liquid was sitting in front of him. It looked neat, in a way. Cleanly arranged. Hinata hoped he wouldn’t spill any of it.</p><p> </p><p>He turned around, looking for the others.</p><p> </p><p>Standing in front of him was Futakuchi.</p><p> </p><p>The soon-to-be groom had his hands on his hips. His brown hair, neatly parted earlier that day, fell messily down into his eyes, which stared at Hinata as though he were little more than the sand he used to jump on. He leaned in to speak.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong with you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m… Sorry?” Hinata’s blood ran cold. He had been right. Futakuchi didn’t like him. For some reason, Futakuchi hated him, and he didn’t know why but he didn’t want Oikawa to know because this was the one thing he had been able to help out with and he had already messed up and-</p><p> </p><p>“Why did you retire?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi’s question was so disconcerting that Hinata floundered to find a response.</p><p> </p><p>“Because you were good, you know”, Futakuchi continued, his voice suddenly seeming casual despite the fact that he was speaking so loudly. He didn’t seem so drunk as the others, Hinata noticed, although his cheeks were tinged slightly pink and his eyes sparkled brightly.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Hinata managed.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re Ninja Shouyou, right?” Tipping his head, Futakuchi looked him up and down, just the once, an inquisitive glance. “I didn’t want to say anything when we first met, because I wasn’t sure if it was you or not, but after talking to you for a while… You seem the same as in your interviews.”</p><p> </p><p>“You… Know me?” He struggled to get a grip on the bar. His legs had begun to shake slightly when Futakuchi first approached him, and the wave of relief that Futakuchi probably wasn’t going to murder him nearly knocked him down completely.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a big volleyball fan. Sorry, if this is kind of a weird way to bring it up.” The other man rubbed at his neck. “I watched a whole bunch of your games. Not often because, you know, time difference and all. But you’re kind of a legend.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could feel the blush creeping up his neck, hot and prickly.</p><p> </p><p>This wasn’t the first time he had been recognized since he arrived home, but it was the first time since he came to the island; he didn't think Oikawa really counted since he knew before Hinata had come to stay who he was. Here, it had seemed like a quiet haven from his former life, where nobody knew him. He was just surprised that it was Futakuchi of all people who had spotted him. He had half-expected a Brazillian guest to be able to pick him out since he was fairly well-known there. However, he had never really competed in international competitions. Although, then again, he knew that there had been a few features run on him in Japan that occasionally appeared on sports channels. Natsu used to record them for him, back when they still thought that he would be returning to Japan soon.</p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, he decided to give the short answer, the one he usually gave inquisitive people.</p><p> </p><p>“I had a couple of injuries- only minor things. But it was beginning to take its toll.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sucks.” Futakuchi wrinkled his nose. “Man, I really thought you were going to play forever…” He glanced down at the bar. “Mind if I have one of those?”</p><p> </p><p>“Go ahead.”</p><p> </p><p>“I used to play, you know”, Futakuchi told him, after throwing back the shot, wincing, and setting the glass down with a clink that was inaudible over the music. “Not beach, just regular volleyball. Aone, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cool!” Hinata couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. Here, at last, was something he could talk about. He remembered his prior ponderings, about the bachelor party and what kind of team they would make, and so he asked; “What position did you play?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wing-spiker.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could see it. The more he thought about it, the more that made sense.</p><p> </p><p>“Were you the ace?”, he asked.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi grinned and, without asking, took another shot. “You know it.”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them stood in silence for a moment, and Hinata decided to take a shot himself. He had lost sight of the others in the crowd; perhaps they had even moved on elsewhere. That was okay, though, since he figured that as long as he was with Futakuchi they would come back to find them. There couldn’t be a wedding without the groom, after all.</p><p> </p><p>“The black suited you better”, Futakuchi’s voice said. “With that orange top, you’re in danger of being mistaken for a satsuma.”</p><p> </p><p>Turning back around, Hinata caught that Futakuchi was watching him with that same disdainful expression that had scared him when he first approached. He glanced down at the offending item of clothing and frowned. He liked this shirt. Pedro had given it to him a few years ago.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, you really seem like a nice guy”, Futakuchi mused slowly, his words coming clearer as the song playing overhead dropped in volume slightly with the end of the chorus. “I’m glad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.” Hinata nodded stiffly, wondering what else was coming, since something clearly was. Futakuchi was reminding him of Oikawa slightly, with his hinting at things that were yet to be said, and the thought that he hoped the two of them wouldn’t meet briefly flitted across his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“But why are you really doing all of this? The showing us around?”</p><p> </p><p>Shrugging, Hinata took another shot. When his throat stopped burning, he answered; “I told Oikawa I would. And I really do like you guys.” Besides, it wasn't like he had much else he desperately needed to do here.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not interested in one of my friends, are you?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata choked. It felt like the shot was trying to work its way back up his throat. Perhaps it was.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, he croaked out.</p><p> </p><p>“Because if you are, that’s cool. But I want you to be clear with them. If this is the kind of thing you do with all of the guys you show around, if it’s just some kind of holiday fling, be honest about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Hinata continued to choke. Futakuchi only watched him expectantly, waiting for him to catch his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I… You guys are the first group I’ve met since I've been here”, he explained once he could speak. “And I don’t- I mean, I don’t particularly like anyone in your group.” Sakunami was nice, he supposed. Obara and Moniwa, too. And he could appreciate Kamasaki’s muscles from a purely aesthetic point of view. But he didn’t feel anything like actual attraction there. Then he remembered the other part of this conversation that was bothering him. “Um… Futakuchi... How did you know that I like guys?”</p><p> </p><p>“I remember seeing some interviews, reading some gossip online.” Futakuchi shrugged, looking away in what Hinata recognized as embarrassment. “They weren’t really published over here, of course, but some people translated them…”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. And you’re… You’re okay with it?” Hinata’s throat felt raw from calling over the sound of the music, and he worried suddenly that somebody would be close enough to hear them; staring around the room, he saw anybody that was close enough was list in the music.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi shrugged once more. “Well, I’m actually bisexual, so. And a lot of my friends aren't straight, so.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Most of them, actually. Well, definitely Aone, although he’s shy. Obara and Pantalons, too, but they’re kind of a thing, so I wouldn’t really go there. Sakunami I’m not sure about, and I don’t think he is, either. I don’t know about Moniwa or Mai's other family, either, but they’re all cool guys, they know about all this stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s mouth was running dry. He downed the last two shots in a row.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi shrugged a third and final time and looked away into the crowd. The silence between them was slightly uncomfortable now; at least, Hinata felt so. And the reason, largely, was jealousy.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s mother and sister loved him and supported him, no matter what. He knew that. His friends back in Brazil had been by his side through so many important moments in his life. But there had also always been an assumption, a feeling underpinning every significant relationship he had, that he would one day settle down and want a family.</p><p> </p><p>Well, he did want a family. Only, he wanted it in the way Futakuchi seemed to have one: His friends, and this unknown Mai, and her family. People who knew each other and their secrets and cared for each other anyway, thoughtlessly, as though it were nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Scanning the sea of faces, some familiar ones jumped out at him. Hinata could see Sakunami and Fukiage laughing; Kamasaki and Sasaya singing together as they jumped in time to the music; Obara and Pantalons looking at something on Obara’s phone against one wall; Aone leaning beside them, his gaze uncomfortable as it flickered up to meet Hinata’s; Moniwa, who had just joined them, talking with Futakuchi in a low voice; and…</p><p> </p><p>“Where’s Koganegawa?”</p><p> </p><p>Time ground to a halt. Moniwa and Futakuchi were the only ones close enough to hear him, and their faces fell: Moniwa’s small, round face dropping open in horror, whereas Futakuchi’s clamped closed in a grimace.</p><p> </p><p>They double-check the dancefloor that Hinata had previously glanced over. Hinata knew that they were hoping he was wrong, and he honestly hoped the same thing.</p><p> </p><p>There was no sign of Koganegawa inside, or outside either, when the three of them fought their way through the crowds that seemed to come at them like sticky breathing tidal waves. Futakuchi and Moniwa each tried calling him and received no answer, just a standard voicemail service message.</p><p> </p><p>“Yo, I was wondering where you guys had gotten to!”, Kamasaki called as he appeared through the onslaught of people, barrelling a path with Sakunami, Sasaya and Aone moving in his wake.</p><p> </p><p>He was laughing, only the laughter stopped when he caught sight of their solemn faces.</p><p> </p><p>Once the others had all gathered outside, they stood in a loose circle on a patch of grass behind some of the clubs. The sounds of the music were dulled slightly out there, but Hinata could still feel a headache coming on, emphasized by the nausea that always gripped him in times of stress.</p><p> </p><p>Obara and Sakunami continued attempting to call Koganegawa. To Hinata’s left, Fukiage, Aone and Futakuchi leaned against a wall, watching the crowds through the gaps in between the buildings. Moniwa was sat on the grass, his arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. He jerked his head up when Kamasaki and Sasaya approached.</p><p> </p><p>“No sign of him”, Sasaya reported, and Moniwa sighed and clambered to his feet.</p><p> </p><p>“Right. We need to look for him. Let’s split up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Moniwa, are you sure-”, Sakunami began.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we can’t just sit around and do nothing, can we?”</p><p> </p><p>They all stared at him in silence. Hinata’s mouth felt so dry that when he swallowed, he was scared he would cut the smooth inner lining of his throat. How had he managed to mess up so badly? This was supposed to be a fun evening.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Futakuchi exhaled and ran one hand through his hair, pushing off from the wall. “Alright. Aone, come on.” He looked back. “Hinata, you come with us, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded and scrambled after them, the sounds of Kamasaki telling Sakunami and Fukiage to follow him trailing away.</p><p> </p><p>They started at one end of the street and began to comb their way through. Pushing through the crowds in an addled, tired state was so much worse than it had been before. Lights flashed pink and green and blue intermittently, washing over the revelers and warping their features so that they were only half-recognizable. With Futakuchi and Aone being so tall, he felt he didn’t have much of an advantage over them in terms of searching; instead, he spent the majority of his time attempting to prevent himself from being crushed.</p><p> </p><p>About fifteen minutes into their searching, the tinny sound of a song playing over a speaker sounded close by, barely heard over the sounds of the parties taking place around them. Hinata wondered for a moment whether somebody had brought a radio out.</p><p> </p><p>Then Futakuchi fished his phone from the pocket of his pants, and his face turned pale as he stared at it.</p><p> </p><p>Aone raised an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Mai.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone stared at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t not answer.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone nodded, and the two of them made their way towards another empty spot behind one of the clubs; a tiny courtyard where a few large dumpsters were clustered. Hinata trailed them and held his nose when the stench of the garbage hit, to prevent himself from vomiting.</p><p> </p><p>This night kept getting worse.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”, Futakuchi answered, almost timidly.</p><p> </p><p>The voice that came back over the phone was pleasant but loud, so loud that Hinata could hear it almost clearly.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Kenji. I was just wondering what was going on.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi swallowed. “How do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just that I haven’t heard anything from any of you guys except Moniwa since you got the ferry. Which is fine, of course, except Kamasaki just messaged me to say that <em>my brother is missing</em>.” The voice turned hard, and Hinata took back what he had thought about it being pleasant.</p><p> </p><p>“Mai- it’s not- I’m so sorry, he’s only been gone for ten minutes. Nothing’s happened, he’s just wandered off, you know what he’s like, and we’re looking for him. Some of the others might have found him already”, Futakuchi said, the words coming out scrambled slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“You’d better find him! How could you lose Kanji?”</p><p> </p><p>“I <em>said</em>, I’m going to find him!”</p><p> </p><p>“Is Aone there?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi frowned. “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Give him the phone for a second.”</p><p> </p><p>He handed it over. Hinata watched as Aone took it, his hand twitching apprehensively as he held the cell phone up to his ear.</p><p> </p><p>“Aone?”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise we will find him, Mai”, Aone said, and Hinata started. His voice was softer than Hinata had expected, although it rumbled deep in his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Shit. I’m sorry, I’m just- I wish I was there. <em>Please</em>, find him.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone nodded and passed the phone back to Futakuchi.</p><p> </p><p>“Kenji?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mai.” Futakuchi’s tone was verging on petulant.</p><p> </p><p>“Go find Kanji.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Another fifteen minutes later, after exchanging messages with Moniwa and the others, who all confirmed they had combed the street and found no sign of Koganegawa, Futakuchi sat down on the sidewalk at the very end of the street, where it branched off from one of the larger roads in town, and put his head in his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck…”, he moaned. “Fuck, I can’t have lost him.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata squatted beside him, clasping his hands with his thumbs pressed together- the old familiar position for a receive, performed almost unconsciously- to prevent them from shaking. “It’ll be okay. We’ll find him. I mean, this place isn’t exactly a crime central or anything, he just wandered off. He’s probably looking for us, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi lifted his head a little. “I think you’re underestimating Koganegawa’s propensity for getting himself caught in stupid situations.”</p><p> </p><p>A hefty paw of a hand clamped down on the man’s shoulder, and both Futakuchi and Hinata turned to see Aone leaning right down, body drawn as though in a bow. His mouth was set in a determined line, and when his narrowed eyes met Futakuchi’s, Futakuchi relaxed. His entire body seemed to release its tension, sagging.</p><p> </p><p>Aone nodded once and straightened up, withdrawing his hand.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced between the two. “You guys are close, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ever since we were at school together.” A single car roared past and Futakuchi blinked against the headlights, a grin briefly crossing his face. “Everyone thinks Aone is scary, but really he’s a big scaredy-cat. That’s why he lets me do all the talking.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone muttered something, his voice so soft that it was drowned out by the noise of another vehicle passing.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Futakuchi asked, cupping one hear with his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I said, I’m not a scaredy-cat.”</p><p> </p><p>“You nearly cried when Mai accused you of eating her sweets.”</p><p> </p><p>The broad man’s face twisted. “Mai is scary.”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi merely laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt himself begin to sway slightly, his calves aching from keeping in a squatting position, and he straightened up. Futakuchi stood beside him and, without speaking, the three of them made their way back to the tourist strip.</p><p> </p><p>Down at this end of the road, it was slightly quieter. Perhaps a lot of people were leaving; it was well past midnight now. However, this end did seem to have more small stores and cafes than the bars that presided over the other part of the street. All of their fronts were closed up, shutters pulled down over the fronts under the brightly-painted signs hanging over them.</p><p> </p><p>A few stragglers walked past them, groups laughing together without a care in the world.</p><p> </p><p>A commotion down one of the side alleys intersecting the street brought Hinata to a halt. Aone stopped beside him, also staring. Futakuchi meandered a few more steps before pivoting back to them.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? What’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>“Get lost already!”</p><p> </p><p>Illuminated under a small light fixed to a wall by a cluster of bins, perched on a small step, was Koganegawa. He held something that Hinata couldn’t make out in his hands and against his face, and his eyes were half-closed.</p><p> </p><p>A man with dark hair and a hard face was stood over him on the step. He wore an apron and was shaking a frying pan.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean it, get out of here!”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa continued to ignore the man. Hinata watched as he bit off a chunk of whatever it was and chewed.</p><p> </p><p>“Kanji!”, Futakuchi all but screamed, and the young man’s head jerked up.</p><p> </p><p>He wiped his mouth with one hand and then waved exaggeratedly, almost hitting the man beside him, who scowled.</p><p> </p><p>“Futakuchi! Aone! Hey!”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi took the lead down the alleyway, and Hinata stayed close to Aone’s side as he too followed.</p><p> </p><p>“Kanji, where were you?” Futakuchi snorted. “And why do you have a chicken?”</p><p> </p><p>Starting, Hinata saw that it was indeed a chicken that Koganegawa was eating: A whole cooked chicken, its skin bronzed and crisp. There was no plate or towels, and Koganegawa’s hands and mouth were covered in grease.</p><p> </p><p>The other man was staring at them with his eyebrows angrily drawn down. He put his hands on his hips. “Do you know him?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s my brother in law. Or, he's going to be”, Futakuchi said, as though he suddenly wished it wasn’t true. “Kanji, get up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, he stole a chicken out of our bins. He’s lucky it was cooked at least.”</p><p> </p><p>A door swung open behind him and a woman’s head appeared from inside the back of what was presumably a restaurant. She had shoulder-length, dark red hair, and was sporting an amused expression. “Well, I’m just glad that someone enjoys my cooking, Tora.”</p><p> </p><p>She disappeared again when the man turned to her, opening his mouth. He let out a frustrated sigh.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi smacked Koganegawa about the head and pulled the chicken from his mouth before holding it out to the restaurant worker, who took it before realizing what he had done and dropping and kicking it away down the alley, wiping his hands on his apron. Koganegawa moaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Seriously, what were you…” Futakuchi’s hissed words were lost as he marched Koganegawa back down the alley and along the street, ahead of their companions. Hinata exchanged a small, bemused glance with Aone as they dashed to keep up.</p><p> </p><p>It was surprisingly easy to locate the others once the crowds had thinned out and, after Koganegawa had received four separate lectures from Futakuchi, Moniwa, Kamasaki, and Mai over the phone, they began to head in the direction of the villa.</p><p> </p><p>They had walked down earlier, in the late afternoon sun, only now the roads were winding and dark and each of them was, to some extent, inebriated. Hinata found himself praying that they would not get lost anywhere among the tangled web of dark roads or sweeping cliffsides that all seemed similar at night.</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, by the time they made it out of the trees and over the first hill, the lights of the villa could be seen right by the cliff edge, away from the other small holdings and houses dotted about the landscape, and its light was a torch, a beacon, guiding them home like a dozen fluttering moths to a flame.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata found himself leading them off course and, by the time any of them noticed so much as to point it out, they were already well on their way to the shores at the base of the cliff and the court.</p><p> </p><p>“What? You said you used to play right?”, he asked Futakuchi. “Are you scared?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi’s grimace turned into a sneer. “You’re on. Aone, let’s destroy this mite.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata couldn’t stop the laughter that broke free from his chest every time he received the ball, every time he spiked past Aone, every time he felt the sting of the ball and the whip of the sand around him. He played with Sakunami, and he was right; he would have made a good libero.</p><p> </p><p>In his head, the adrenaline roaring, this match was the equivalent of any of the world-class beach volleyball matches he played in Brazil. Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, he was aware that, in reality, they were largely drunkenly falling over each other, but that didn’t stop him from feeling as though he was having fun, really having fun, for the first time that night.</p><p> </p><p>He screamed a cheer and high-fived Sakunami when Sakunami made an impressive receive, and the games continued. At one point, Futakuchi swapped out for Koganegawa so that he could sit on the side-lines and talk to Mai on his phone, and then Koganegawa swapped out for Moniwa. The young man went to sit with his future brother-in-law, before scampering away when Futakuchi shot him a ‘do you mind’ look.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki swapped in for Sakunami, and then the both of them were roaring with incredulity as Aone performed an impressive block, sweeping Hinata’s spike out of bounds.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ducked under the net, racing towards a rather alarmed-looking Aone, and pushed him with both hands on his back, yelling wordlessly. Aone dug his heels into the sand and refused to move, and Hinata fell over laughing with the exertion of it all.</p><p> </p><p>He leaped into the air again and again, even as the twinge in his leg and side grew greater. He knew he looked impressive to the untrained eye. Yet, he couldn’t help but think of Oikawa, of how easily he had picked out the old injury that still hindered him in a way when he had been serving against Hinata. Hinata wondered whether Oikawa would look at him and see the same thing: The areas where his body was holding him back, the spaces now filled with pain.</p><p> </p><p>When Futakachi finally hung up his phone and said he thought they should all head back now before one of them gets hurt, Hinata felt the disappointment settling deep in his stomach, a bitter echo of the sense of loss he had felt upon his retirement.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki was the one manning reception when they finally made it into the main hall. He grunted something without looking up when Hinata sing-songed; “Hanamaki, I’ve brought them back.”</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki, Sasaya, and Moniwa were laughing at something, huddling close together to the back of the group. Hinata felt a spike of panic in his chest: What if he messed up now and Oikawa got mad at him or, even worse, threatened to kick him out? He didn’t think Oikawa would, not really, but it was always a possibility.</p><p> </p><p>Wheeling on them, he hissed; “Shh, don’t wake up the other guests!”</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, shh, don’t wake up the other guests!”, Futakuchi mocked. He hushed the others and, surprisingly, they all went quiet. Except for Sakunami, whose giggles were thankfully nearly silent.</p><p> </p><p>There was a buzzing sound in Hinata’s ears, likely a combination of the alcohol and his fatigue. “I’m going to bed, now. It’s back to the outhouse for me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Goodnight, Hinata”, Futakuchi said, far too loudly, and the others echoed in like. Hinata could have sworn that Aone also spoke, but he wasn’t completely sure.</p><p> </p><p>Turning to go out the door, Hinata found himself tripping in the corridor over nothing, staggering and half-falling until he was flat on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Then a pair of strong arms were gripping him, raising him up.</p><p> </p><p><em>Aone?</em> He wondered.</p><p> </p><p>He flushed slightly when he saw it was Hanamaki. Why had he thought it would be Aone?</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, careful.” Hanamaki gripped his shoulders tightly to keep him steady on his feet, balancing oddly on one leg as he pressed one knee into Hinata’s side, keeping him propped upright.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced about. The large entryway was empty, the others gone. They had been there seconds before, hadn’t they? How long had he been lying there for?</p><p> </p><p>“Can you walk?”, Hanamaki’s voice asked insistently, and when he withdrew his knee Hinata made an effort to keep himself vertical.</p><p> </p><p>“I think soooo.” His voice rang distantly in his ears as he spoke.</p><p> </p><p>“Good.”</p><p> </p><p>They began their march towards the outhouse. Hinata whined slightly when he felt the cool of the night air, clinging to Hanamaki’s shirt. It was blue and slightly scratchy, and he wondered whether Hanamaki had tougher skin than he did if he didn’t think that shirt was scratchy.</p><p> </p><p>Remembering Futakuchi’s comment about his orange shirt, Hinata reached down for his hem.</p><p> </p><p>“What’re- No, don’t do that.” Hanamaki yanked Hinata’s shirt back down. “Wait 'til you’re back in your own room.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata mused that the walk seemed to be taking much longer than usual. His feet twisted and tripped over some of the uneven stones in the courtyard, and he frowned. “It’s an ugly shirt.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re right, but please wait until I’m gone before you take it off.”</p><p> </p><p>Okay. Hinata supposed he could do that.</p><p> </p><p>He settled instead for staring up across the courtyard. The night was a pretty night, he decided. The moon was big and shiny up there, but the sky was dark and lacking stars and it felt crisp and cool around him. He shuffled closer in to Hanamaki’s side.</p><p> </p><p>There were faint noises, strange noises. Hinata scrunched his nose, trying to work out what on Earth they were. It sounded like… Chewing.</p><p> </p><p>Looking to his left, he found that Hanamaki was eating a pastry with the hand that wasn’t currently propping Hinata up. He couldn’t quite make out what it was in the dark, but it looked tasty.</p><p> </p><p>“Huhhhh.” He leaned forward and opened his mouth, attempting to take a bite.</p><p> </p><p>“What? No! This is mine.” Hanamaki shook his head and raised the pastry out of mouth's-reach. “I am so telling Oikawa all about this.”</p><p> </p><p>Chuckling a little, Hinata sank his head back down against Hanamaki’s shoulder and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. When the light above them disappeared from his view, his head began to hurt and he raised it again so swiftly that the world spun around him.</p><p> </p><p>They struggled through the gate to the outhouse with a lot of staggering back and forth.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna tell Oikawa to put a fence up”, Hanamaki huffed, swallowing around the last of his pastry. “If you came back here drunk by yourself…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hummed, unsure what it was that he was agreeing with.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki leaned him against the frosty wall, and he whined in protest, sliding down until his butt plonked firmly on the ground. Twisting, he saw that Hanamaki was trying to force his door. The man blinked in surprise when it flew open.</p><p><br/>“Thank the gods that your lock is still broken.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm.”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on then. Get inside.”</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata merely blinked up at him, Hanamaki sighed and helped him to his feet, looping one arm under Hinata’s shoulders and walking him inside the now-familiar warmth of the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>He dropped Hinata onto the bed, and Hinata fell on his stomach.</p><p> </p><p>“Roll on your side”, Hanamaki’s voice instructed. “You can take your shirt off now if you want.”</p><p> </p><p>“No. Cold.” Hinata shuddered and drew his knees up to his chest, tucking himself into a ball. Whenever he tried to raise his head it hurt, so he decided it was probably best to just not move anymore. Dimly, he recognized that this was not a smart idea, but his exhausted body overruled his brain this time.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki let out another sigh and a blanket was flung in Hinata’s direction, landing squarely on top of him.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean it”, Hanamaki threatened. “I’m telling Oikawa and Matsun all of this. The kids, too. They’re going to laugh at you.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata just exhaled. He could feel himself drifting out of consciousness. He fought against it, but only for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“Goodnight, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t hear him when he left; he was already lost in the realms of sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had so much fun writing this chapter, Dateko are one of my favorite teams. One of my other favorite teams is also going to appear next chapter- or, some of them, anyway- and I'm looking forward to writing that, too.</p><p>Also, if there's any confusion, the guy and girl working in the restaurant are Yamamoto and Yukie, who we will be hearing more from in the future.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Aone Is A Big Fan Of Turtles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, sorry it's been a little while since I posted! Life has been incredibly busy this last month or so, with work and school and family stuff all going on at once. I'm hoping to have a couple more chapters posted over the next week or two, though, so fingers crossed I am going to get the ball rolling again on this fic.</p><p>In the time that I haven't been writing, I have been planning, and this fic is going to be revised and edited slightly in the coming weeks (nothing major- I've just finally decided that I need to proofread and edit it, and I also rewrote my plans for some of the later chapters/added a few chapters last week so I may tweak a few scenes slightly), so stay tuned!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, sleepyhead.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hrngh.” Hinata raised his head without opening his eyes, feeling the hair that was glued to his chin with spit peeling away where it also stuck to his rather lumpy pillow.</p><p> </p><p>“I would say Sleeping Beauty, but I don’t think that’s an accurate descriptor at the moment.”</p><p> </p><p>Who was speaking? Where was Pedro?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata froze, his head spinning: That voice was Japanese. Where was he?</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, he began to recount the events of the previous night and, with them, everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks.</p><p> </p><p>When he forced his eyes open the spinning got worse: The ceiling above him rolled, bringing back memories of his ferry crossing over to the island. He shifted onto his back, his stomach heaving and churning with the movement.</p><p> </p><p>“Eurgh. What time is it?”, he asked the vague, blurry shape of Oikawa standing by the bed. Blinking, the man’s face swam into view and it looked impossibly bright and chirpy, lit by the late morning sun. His light brown hair was combed perfectly into place.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s 10 am. Hanamaki told me what happened last night. I thought I should come and see if you’re still alive.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata threw an arm across his face. “I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“What for?” Oikawa sounded genuinely surprised. “There was no harm done. It’s funny. As long as you all had a good time and made it back safely, I don’t care what else you get up to.”</p><p> </p><p>Groaning once more, Hinata attempted to prop himself up a little. It went better than he anticipated: Although his head hurt, sitting up seemed to help his stomach slightly, as everything fell back into place with his body upright.</p><p> </p><p>“Here”, Oikawa said, and when Hinata again blinked his eyes open he saw that Oikawa was holding a bottle of water out to him. “Take it easy today.” He winked.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata moaned a thank you as his hand closed around the cool plastic, and then Oikawa left him to it. Hinata could hear him laughing to himself as he strolled up the path toward the villa, and he shuddered at the noise of the door of his shack swinging closed with a loud thud.</p><p> </p><p>After several minutes and a few sips of chilled water that quenched his parched throat, he kicked back the blankets and swung his legs around.</p><p> </p><p>He had never had a very strong stomach. Everything Hinata ate the night before came back up, and he barely made it into the outside bathroom in time. He shivered out of his clothes and started the shower, shooing away a rather scary spider in one corner before hopping in.</p><p> </p><p>By 11 am, Hinata had finished the water, standing under the pattering stream and allowing it to pour over his warm body. Feeling as though he resembled a functioning human being again, he stepped back out of the bathroom and stared across the cliffs. The sun was close to being directly overhead, and several birds flapped their wings nearby.</p><p> </p><p>None of Futakuchi’s group were likely to be up yet; and, if they were, they likely wanted some time to themselves. Better not interrupt them.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing out over the fields, where the ankle-high grass stalks rippled in the wind, all morning dew long dried out, he stretched his tanned arms above his head and decided that a walk into town might make himself feel better.</p><p> </p><p>Exercise had always been a good cure for a hangover, Hinata had found, although many people stared at him as though he had an extra head when he told them that, so he figured that was perhaps just a quirk of his rather than a universal thing. Back in Brazil, he had often dragged himself down to the beach to hit a ball back and forth with whoever happened to be there at the time, working up a sweat and downing water until he felt ready to face food again.</p><p> </p><p>His feet moved almost unconsciously in the direction of the main town, and he found himself wandering aimlessly past shops and cafes, many of which he had seen the previous night. They were all much brighter with the storefronts and signs illuminated by the mild sunlight.</p><p> </p><p>Something caught his eye and gave him pause: A sign, indicating that the glass-fronted building opposite the small electronics store he stood in front of was the tourist information center for the island. He had not been inside before, although he had heard Yamaguchi talking about it.</p><p> </p><p>Staring at the dark interior, Hinata was struck by a sudden brainwave: He needed to find places to take Futakuchi and his friends. Somewhere with nature. There were nature reserves on the island, he remembered seeing them when he looked the island up, but he could not for the life of him remember exactly where they were supposed to be.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stepped inside the building and felt the temperature drop ten degrees. It was by no means cold outside, although the sky was rather cloudy, yet the shift in warmth made him question his choice of shorts.</p><p> </p><p>There were a few lights overhead, long lights that ran across the ceiling of the store, but they were switched off. A large, open, and empty space gaped before him, all four walls lined with rows of brochures. In one corner sat a table with a model of the island; the opposite corner held a counter topped with yet another rack of brochures.</p><p> </p><p>He had half-expected to find Yamaguchi waiting inside, perhaps wearing the dark green apron Hinata had once seen him sporting. Instead, a dark-haired man with rimless glasses smiled at him from behind the counter. He wore the same apron over a light blue button-up shirt, which he had done up right to the collar.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello. Can I help you?”, the man asked, speaking slowly and patiently. Hinata was used to that sort of tone: In Brazil, most people had assumed he would not understand them, but even before then his unusual hair color had marked him as different, and a lot of people mistook him for a foreigner.</p><p> </p><p>So Hinata merely smiled and inquired; “Is Yamaguchi around?”</p><p> </p><p>The man’s smile shifted; it went from being a painted, customer-service smile to a genuine, easy tilting of the lips, an emotion akin to relief in his eyes. “Oh, is it Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>The confusion must have been evident on Hinata’s face because the man continued; “Yamaguchi has mentioned you.”</p><p> </p><p>Unsure of how to respond to that, Hinata continued to stare.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s my co-worker”, the man explained, as if that was not evident already. “We’re roommates, too. I’m Shimada.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose and then held a hand out.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shook it. “Nice to meet you, Shimada. I’m Hinata Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yamaguchi hasn’t mentioned me, has he?” Shimada chuckled and shook his head. “That guy.” He sighed. “Anyway, I’ll let him know you were looking for him. Unless… There’s anything else I can help with?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was actually looking to learn some more about the island. I’m working at the villa, up on the cliffs-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oikawa’s place?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada’s face contorted slightly, and Hinata did not miss the shift in expression, although he did not speak.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Hinata continued; “… I’m meant to be showing this group of guys around, but I’m not sure where to take them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, there are a lot of places around town”, said Shimada. He smiled and gestured with one arm, his pale cloth shirt rumpling with the gesture. “I have some brochures here if-”</p><p> </p><p>Quickly, Hinata cut across him. “We’ve already been- in town.” He swallowed and shrugged his shoulders. “I think they want to take things easy for a little while, see some nature.” It would probably be best for his own nerves, also. </p><p> </p><p>Shimada nodded wisely, as though he understood. “Ah. Well, there are plenty of places for that, too. We have a lot of beautiful parks. Actually- hold on, I have some brochures here somewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>He plucked a couple of various leaflets from the stand and held them out. As Hinata reached out to take them, Shinada tapped the top one.</p><p> </p><p>“This one is very popular.” It was splashed in various shades of bright green and blue, advertising a nature reserve on the far coast of the island, away from the town. “They do tours, and you can see turtles and their eggs on the beach. I went myself, once. It was very… Educational.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata flipped through them before gathering them in his arms. A lot of them looked very much the same in what they were advertising, informational and clearly laid out. The only one that really stood out, words and pictures flung haphazardly across the page, was the top one that Shimada had pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>Raising his head once more, Hinata beamed a smile at the assistant. “These are great! Thank you!”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem, Hinata.” Shimada shot a smile back at him, and Hinata half-turned to go, only to be stopped as Shimada continued; “You know, Yamaguchi has always been a little shy. He doesn’t make friends easily. So I’m glad he’s met you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Hinata whipped his head back around, unsure of what Shimada was really trying to say. “Thank you?”</p><p> </p><p>“You seem like a nice guy, Hinata. I'm sure I’ll see you around again.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll be sure to stop by.” Hinata hurried out of the door. It swung shut behind him and, in the reflection, he caught sight of Shimada lowering his waving hand and beginning to rearrange the brochures beside him.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>By the time Hinata made it back to the villa- after stopping off at the store to buy a cold juice drink- it was already afternoon, and the heat was beginning to gather on the horizon again. It seemed any clouds never lasted long here; although they had sat low in the sky when he awoke, they thinned and dispersed rapidly.</p><p> </p><p>Entering the main dining hall, he found the group eating a rather large breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Hinata”, Futakuchi greeted, wiping at his mouth with one thumb as he looked up from the soup he was eating. Further along, Koganegawa slurped down the last of the bowl that sat in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi, by some miracle, seemed as perky as ever. Hinata swore he heard Fukiage groan something about hating him as he came to stand beside the man’s chair, one hand resting against the back of it.</p><p> </p><p>“I take it you guys want to relax a little today?”, he asked, smiling about the party.</p><p> </p><p>“I think so”, Moniwa agreed. His eyes were ringed with black circles. Beside him Sasaya slouched over the table, his face hidden.</p><p> </p><p>Obara raised one eyebrow, tilting his head back from where he sat next to Fukiage to catch Hinata’s eye. “We were talking about the beach, possibly. Although the one where we came in seemed kind of busy.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was thinking about taking you guys to this animal sanctuary. It’s over the other side of the island, lots of nature. It will be a nice walk if you’re up to it.”</p><p> </p><p>Taking the brochure out of his shorts pocket, he passed it to Fukiage, and it traveled about the group.</p><p> </p><p>“This looks good”, Moniwa murmured when it made its way to him, and Kamasaki voiced his assent. “It would be a waste of a day if we didn’t at least do something.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone, leaning over his shoulder, to peer at the brochure, nodded enthusiastically. Hinata struggled to contain his laughter at the color high on Aone’s cheeks: He looked so excited. In a way, it was cute.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you think, Futakuchi?”, prompted Moniwa.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi, who had finished his soup and was now staring at his phone, hummed in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>“Will there by turtles?”, Sakunami piped up from the corner table he shared with Onagawara.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t make any promises, but maybe”, Hinata replied with a shrug and a small grin, and was met with excited smiles and murmurs.</p><p> </p><p>He left them for half an hour to finish their soup and get ready before meeting at the van.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it’s free”, Matsukawa had said when Hinata cornered him in the corridor on his way back outside. “Not many guests at the moment. I think Shigeru took the little van to show some couple around, but the big one is free. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was just going to take that group of guys that I picked up the other day out to a nature reserve.”</p><p> </p><p>“Which one?”, Matsukawa asked and, when Hinata told him, he barked a single, short laugh. “Have fun.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Hinata could ask, Matsukawa had already strutted off down the corridor.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had thought he felt much better than before but, as he drove down the hills from the villa, it became apparent that the others did not. He mentally anticipated having to pull over swiftly so that somebody could puke. In particular, Moniwa’s face was pale as a corpse and he shuddered every time they hit a rock or turned a sharp corner, and Hinata felt like muttering an apology. And, while Moniwa may have been as pale as a corpse, Koganegawa appeared to actually be half-dead. His head rocked forward and drooped against his chest, and he occasionally rolled right onto his seatmate, Kamasaki, who shoved him back each time with a grunt.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi paused in his tapping on his phone to lift his head and ask; “Can we stop off in town somewhere first? There’s something I need to do.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned. What could Futakuchi possibly need to do in town?</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa twisted in his seat. “Will it be quick?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay then. Tell Hinata where to go.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata listened dutifully to the directions he was given. Futakuchi led him down the main street parallel to the shore, and then off towards the cafes and stores. Eventually, those too passed behind, until they were on the outskirts of the town, in an area that was largely residential, with the occasional public building dotted here and there. With each passing minute the buildings seemed to become more dilapidated, the spaces between them filling with weeds and wildflowers rather than concrete and neat patches of grass. </p><p> </p><p>Glancing up from his phone, Futakuchi instructed; “Just pull over here.”</p><p> </p><p>The van rolled to a stop, and Hinata peered out. There wasn’t much around them. No person waiting for them. Just a few houses on either side, a small corner store several yards along, and a dental office beside it. </p><p> </p><p>“… Here?”, he questioned uncertainly, glancing in the mirror.</p><p> </p><p>When Futakuchi nodded, Sasaya asked; “Futakuchi, what is it exactly that you need to do?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi shrugged. “Oh, I’m getting my wisdom teeth pulled out.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt the words slowly sinking into his mind, and then the van exploded with talking as the others reacted. He felt his mouth dropping open. Koganegawa was jostled by Kamasaki as Kamasaki whirled in his seat and he sat upright, gaping like a fish.</p><p> </p><p>"<em>What?</em>", Obara gasped.</p><p> </p><p>"Erm... I don't...", Koganegawa mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki’s voice sounded loudest of all, over the others. “You <em>absolute thick shit</em>, you’re gonna be in there forever!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just pulling some teeth out!”, Futakuchi yelled back at him. “How long can it take?”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa’s fingers were gripping the headrest so tightly his knuckles had gone white. “Kenji, what on Earth possessed you to arrange this appointment now?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi’s face had taken on a defensive pout. “I need to get it done before the actual wedding, it’s been driving me crazy!” He reached for the handle on the side door.</p><p> </p><p>“Futakuchi, if you get out of this fucking van I’m not coming to the wedding”, Kamasaki warned in a low voice, and Futakuchi’s fingers hesitated, falling back into his lap. “I’m going to tell Mai to break up with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“She won’t listen to you”, Sasaya said lightly. Futakuchi once again reached for the door.</p><p> </p><p>This time it was Obara that stopped him, catching his arm. His face was severe, expression hard as a gravestone. “Do you really think getting your wisdom tooth removed, one week before you get married, on an island, while hungover, is the best idea?”</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi met his friend’s gaze. “Well…”</p><p> </p><p>Before anybody else could speak, a large hand clamped around Obara’s arm, and some long fingers were peeling Obara’s away from Futakuchi.</p><p> </p><p>Obara didn’t resist as Aone pulled him away. Slowly, so slowly, he pulled his hand back into his lap and sat back in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>Aone turned and nodded at Futakuchi, and Futakuchi finally settled on the door handle.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, I’m off.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good luck!”, Sakunami, the only one who had thus far remained silent, called.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s really brave of you, Futakuchi”, Koganegawa said, and Kamasaki snorted.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi stared at the two of them for a moment, shook his head, and leaped out of the van, slamming the door closed behind him.</p><p> </p><p>A thick silence settled over them for a minute.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki muttered; “I say we drive off without him.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata surreptitiously took the keys from the ignition and pocketed them.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was later than Hinata would have liked when they finally reached the wildlife park, on the other side of the island. To reach it he drove parallel to the horizon, watching as the town and the docks fell away behind them and the sandy beaches were replaced by a coastline as jagged as animal's teeth. </p><p> </p><p>Hinata would have completely missed the entrance if not for the fact that a couple of other cars and a van were already parked up, just beside the small sign announcing that this site was a designated conservation area. There didn't seem to be anything else around, asides from the abandoned vehicles. Hinata wrenched open the back of the van and allowed the others to spill out into the mild heat of the late afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>“So do we just… Walk?”, Futakuchi asked drowsily. He peered about the sands, seemingly having regained his semblance of reality somewhere along the drive. As he turned his head, he winced and rubbed at his cheek, and Hinata shrugged at him.</p><p> </p><p>Making their way around a large shrubby mound, the answer became apparent: A small hut stood there, rising up out of the sand. It was made of dark wood that seemed to have, in certain places, been rendered white by the sun, pale lines cutting deep across the surface. It had a door on the front, although it was locked with a rather hefty chain, and a glass sliding window beside it. Several signs plastered across the door advertised animal encounters and promoted conservationism.</p><p> </p><p>It appeared to be empty, but as they made their way closer Hinata could hear a faint whirring noise, and spotted its source: A small white fan perched on a desk inside the hut.</p><p> </p><p>Turning back, Hinata saw that the others were straggling across the sands in his wake. Sakunami was holding on to Koganegawa’s backpack as they walked. Aone half-held up Futakuchi as he stumbled with every other step. Kind of served him right, really. Kamasaki was scowling to himself, avoiding where Moniwa and Sasaya walked together.</p><p> </p><p>Hesitantly, Hinata knocked on the window.</p><p> </p><p>Almost immediately, a flurry of movement had him leaping backward. The window was slammed open with a loud thudding noise, and a man with large eyes and wild hair stared out at him. He looked as though he had been asleep, Hinata thought; as the group watched, the man tugged a white jacket over his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair.</p><p> </p><p>A moment passed in which Hinata was almost afraid to break the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Then the man looked him up and down, drew in a deep breath, and bellowed; “Hey, hey, hey! Are you guys here for a tour?”</p><p> </p><p>Another man’s face appeared from the side of the hut, peering around the corner with narrowed eyes. He had a thinner face than the other man, a pointed chin and light brown hair almost the color of the dried-out shrubs around them.</p><p> </p><p>“We are!”, Hinata replied enthusiastically. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man’s hair. It was silver streaked with black and stood straight up on his head as though he had been electrocuted.</p><p> </p><p>The man leaned forward and spread his arms, and Hinata found something else to gawp at: The man’s muscles were huge. His biceps almost had to be the size of Hinata’s head.</p><p> </p><p>“Awesome!”, he cried. “You know, most people come here earlier for the tours, but you guys are in luck because I’m still available!” He gave them a thumbs up and a grin and Hinata distinctly heard Futakuchi groaning somewhere behind his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Only because you showed up late”, the other man commented, and the first one leaned right out of the window, practically folding his body in two- and Hinata was sure he either had to be on his tiptoes or lifting himself right off of the floor to reach- to glare at him.</p><p> </p><p>The narrow-faced man merely rolled his eyes and vanished back behind the hut.</p><p> </p><p>The beefy man let himself out of the cubicle somewhere around the back, and then he too appeared around the side. He was far taller than Hinata. His light brown uniform- shorts and a short-sleeved button-up shirt- strained over his muscles. When his hand closed over Hinata’s arm and he began to shepherd him away, across to the rolling sand dunes covered in shrubs, Hinata could feel the strength in them, and let himself be dragged.</p><p> </p><p>Twisting back over his shoulder, he could see the rest of the group following and trying to catch up. None of them seemed all that happy. He thought that perhaps if they were not all so tired from the night before, they would also be striding along beside them.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what did you guys want to see first?”, the man’s voice boomed in Hinata’s ear, and he caught Kamasaki putting his hands over his ears and wincing in pain.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, what is there?”, Futakuchi grumbled, still nursing his cheek.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned to peer up at the man beside him. “Are there animals?”</p><p> </p><p>The guy’s golden eyes lit up. “You bet! There’s-”</p><p> </p><p>The other man from the hut interrupted, calling out to them; “Bokuto, hold up a second, there’s another group here!”</p><p> </p><p>The man still latched onto Hinata pivoted, and Hinata was forced to turn with him.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, Hinata thought they had gone further than he had thought: The people seemed to be standing so far away. Squinting, he realized that the reason they were so small was that they were schoolchildren.</p><p> </p><p>And, squinting further, he saw that he recognized them: Or, rather, he recognized the harassed looking lady that he assumed was a teacher with the brown bob standing beside them, her hands on her hips. The group, sporting matching garish yellow blazers, dashed about her legs. At least they were unlikely to get lost, he supposed.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto let go of Hinata to scratch at his hair, tilting his head to one side. “Can’t you take them?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m busy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Doing what?”</p><p> </p><p>The man swung open another door, around the rear of the shed, and then closed it behind him when he stepped inside without answering.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto pouted, his face turned so that only Hinata could see. “Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Plastering a wide grin onto his lips, he faced the children. “Hey, hey, hey! Come join the group!” As they made their way over, the kids loping like puppies while the teacher tugged them back by their jackets every few seconds, he continued; “I prefer smaller crowds so that I can get to know everybody, but I can’t complain about having more people to pay attention to me!”</p><p> </p><p>Coming from anyone else, Hinata might have taken it as arrogance. Yet this man’s smile was infectious, and Hinata couldn’t help his own lips curving upwards.</p><p> </p><p>“My name is Bokuto Koutarou and I will be your guide today!” Bokuto rested his balled fists on his hips. “Alright, onwards!” A sudden intense look overtook his face as he raised one finger in the air and marched away. Hinata caught Sakunami, his fingers still laced about the strap of Koganegawa's bag as though afraid he may vanish again, exchanging a glance with Moniwa before they followed.</p><p> </p><p>The park itself was stunning and larger than Hinata had initially thought from looking at the maps. It stretched right along the coastline, a new surprise at every turn. They made their way across the shrubbed dunes until they could see the sea before them, and it was the same cerulean blue that Hinata could recall from his journey over, the sun blindingly bright as it reflected white off of the waves.</p><p> </p><p>There were two things keeping Hinata from enjoying himself completely, as he listened to Bokuto talking about the various species of wildlife that called their island home. The first was that Futakuchi kept groaning; the other, the school children shrieking as they ran wild with excitement.</p><p><br/>“Boys!”, their teacher yelled, looking as though she wanted to tear her hair out, when one of the kids staggered into Aone, and the gaggle of children ducked behind her legs.</p><p> </p><p>They quietened for a moment, and Hinata could hear the tide rolling in the background, beneath the sounds of their feet moving. It was pleasant. Closing his eyes, he felt the slight breeze tugging at his hair.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes jolted open when he collided with something hard.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto twisted around, revealing that it was his back Hinata had just collided with. “Woah, careful there.” He reached out with one hand to steady Hina.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry. Thank you.” Well, that would teach him to try walking with his eyes closed. Maybe volleyball was the only thing he knew well enough to instinctively perform without sight. </p><p> </p><p>They veered off from the shoreline, walking through a desert-like landscape that had them meandering among shoulder-high rock formations, the undergrowth still twining about their feet.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of water drew closer once more, and they went over a small hill to emerge on the verge of a white sand beach. Bokuto stopped just as they crested the hill, and so did the rest of the group, falling silent. Hinata felt as though the breath had been snatched from his lungs at the sight before them.</p><p> </p><p>“Turtles”, Aone whispered. Hinata moved closer to his side and looked up at him. His eyes were wide, and he would nearly call it endearing, how excited Aone seemed. It reminded him of how the large man had been at breakfast: A slight flush in his cheeks, usually dull eyes shining.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you like turtles?", Hinata asked, somewhat awkwardly because of course he had already known that and why was he even asking, and Aone nodded, not tearing his gaze away for a second.</p><p> </p><p>"I am... A big fan of them", the man admitted softly. Hinata followed his line of sight to take in the beach.</p><p> </p><p>Dotted across the sand in front of them, stretching for what seemed to be miles, were small dark shells, caked with sand in various places. Tiny heads and legs poked out from them. Further along, they grew even more sparse in number, and Hinata couldn't quite tell whether the dots in the distance were turtles or seaweed washed ashore, or perhaps bits of driftwood. But the several dozen or so closest to them were undeniably sea turtles.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in the wild before”, Hinata breathed, feeling the fabric of Aone’s shirt under his fingers where he clutched at his arm.</p><p> </p><p>He thought mildly about how this would be a good place to bring Kenma. He had promised to show him around some more and had so far not kept to that promise, and he did feel bad about it. Hinata had seen Kenma in town the other day while on the way back from Yachi's cafe and they had spoken for several minutes- well, it had largely been Hinata doing the talking- but that was all. He had just been busy with Futakuchi's group, he supposed. </p><p> </p><p>Distinctly he heard one of the schoolboys- a boy with brown hair and freckles that oddly reminded him of Yamaguchi- whisper; “It’s so cool here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure is!”, one of the other boys puffed his chest out. He had wicked dark eyes and dyed-blond hair. “My family are from here, so I have a ‘natural divinity’ for it of course.” He started across the beach ahead of their group, kicking tiny craters in his wake.</p><p> </p><p>“Terushima!”, the teacher exclaimed.</p><p> </p><p>There was the thudding of feet on sand, so familiar to Hinata, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. He had time to admire Bokuto’s form as he launched himself across the sand and swept Terushima up. The boy dangled ungracefully from Bokuto’s arms for a moment and then began twisting to get free.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Let go of me!”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto set him down obediently. “Sorry. You were getting a little close to those eggs, there.” He indicated to several spots where the sand seemed to have been disturbed. “You need to be careful.”</p><p> </p><p>Terushima raced away to hide behind the teacher, turning his face into her side as he clutched at her jacket, a larger version of the blazer the children sported.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, you don’t. Terushima.” The teacher put her hands on her hips and frowned down at the blond.</p><p> </p><p>He peeked out from behind her, face sheepish.</p><p> </p><p>Shaking her head, she continued; “Look, boys, I know you like to have fun, and I like that about you, I really do. But there’s a time and a place, okay? Look at those little turtles. You could have crushed them and been covered in turtle meat.” Hinata caught Aone frowning at that and found himself patting his arm comfortingly. All of the kids were looking down at their feet, faces somber. “Now behave, or I will tell Mr. Okudake.”</p><p> </p><p>A chorus of ‘no’ rose from among the children, and the teacher chuckled, giving Terushima’s hair one last ruffle before allowing him to dart away to join his friends. The group muttered together briefly, and then Terushima cuffed a hand over the freckled boy's head, and they started laughing. The teacher watched them with fond eyes. </p><p> </p><p>Bokuto stared around at the group for a moment before grinning and announcing; “Anyway… Onwards!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata beamed, glad that Bokuto had taken the initiative. “Yes!” A ripple of excitement ran through him when he saw that Bokuto was beginning to head in the direction of some of the interesting-seeming rock formations that jutted into the sea further along.</p><p> </p><p>As the group resumed their odyssey, trailing behind Bokuto and skirting the beach, Futakuchi let out another groan and glared at the blond boy- Terushima- when he walked a little too close to him. “Eurgh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay, mister?”, the boy asked with a cheeky grin.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi didn’t answer, merely sneered.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki said; "I can't believe I need to say this, but please don't bully twelve-year-olds."</p><p> </p><p>"Well then, they should stop."</p><p> </p><p>"What, being twelve?"</p><p> </p><p>The schoolboys began to giggle at that, and Futakuchi sighed and shook his head. Even though he sounded irritated, Hinata thought that maybe the bickering with Kamasaki had helped lift his spirits, because when he resumed walking he was no longer stumbling or slouching.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey!" Glancing about, Hinata realized Bokuto had paused to wait for them. He clapped his hands once, a bright grin still on his face. "Let's keep moving! I still want to show you guys the caves! Ooh- and the bird nests! And maybe the big cliffs..."</p><p> </p><p>"Better not", the kids' teacher muttered under her breath, as Hinata and the others caught up. Whether Bokuto had heard or not, Hinata couldn't say, for he began to stride away so quickly that Hinata had to half-jog to keep up.</p><p> </p><p>He was already having much more fun than the night before. He wondered if Oikawa and the others had ever been out here. If not, he should take them one time. Maybe not Kenma, though, he decided swiftly. He couldn't see Kenma and Bokuto getting along at all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is far from the only time we are going to see friendly park ranger Bokuto. I wonder if he and Kenma are going to become friends... *shrugs*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Sakunami Is A Goat Whisperer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cliffs were painted gold in the late morning sunlight, and it was that same sunlight that caused Hinata to squint out over the fields where golden rays fanned across the long stalks. In particular, he peered at the group of people fighting their way through those stalks as they trailed in the direction of the town. They walked in pairs or small clusters, loosely forming a perforated line that stretched from about halfway down the hill that the villa was situated upon right up to the last stragglers, who it seemed hadn't left yet. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” He removed the hand over his eyes to wave at them. </p><p> </p><p>The trio at the rear of the group, still at the gravelly road entering the villa grounds, paused and turned towards him.</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa, Kamasaki and Sasaya stood in a loose cluster, watching their friends walking. Sasaya had his hands on his hips, looking like a man far behind his years, Hinata thought. Down below, Futakuchi was laughing and chattering with Sakunami, Aone an ever-present shadow by his side. Koganegawa walked with Fukiage, and Obara and Onagawara had made the furthest distance, reaching the bottom of the hill. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, Moniwa greeted, turning back to where Hinata sat with his own hand shielding his eyes, and Kamasaki and Sasaya echoed his movements.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are you off to?” Hinata tilted his head.</p><p> </p><p>“We were just going to wander down to the beach”, Kamasaki shrugged and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt shifting slightly. “And then maybe go out a bit later on this evening.”</p><p> </p><p>“It should be peaceful”, said Sasaya. His lean face was open, smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, if Futakuchi can shut up about his teeth. Hopefully he’ll fall asleep on the beach and we can leave him there.”</p><p> </p><p>Moniwa turned away from the other two. The small disapproving scowl on his face smoothed out as he did so. “You’re more than welcome to join us, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shook his head. “I was planning to stay at the villa today, but I hope you have fun.”</p><p> </p><p>He forced himself to his feet from his spot in the courtyard, moving past the multi-colored glistening stones to watch the group filing into the trees. A faint breeze was rippling over them and stirring the fields, promising another slightly cooler day. It tugged in Hinata's hair and at his t-shirt, and those billowing movements echoed in the trees down below.</p><p> </p><p>After the last of them- Sasaya, walking slowly at the back- had vanished among the trees, he turned back to the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, Shigeru was the one seated at the front desk. He scribbled notes idly as he spoke on the phone, occasionally nodding as though the person could see him. After a minute or so he hung up and glanced at Hinata. “Good morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“Morning. Is there anything you need today? Anything I can do to help out?” It was bright and early, and Hinata had no other plans: Might as well seem useful. </p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged. “You can join me behind the desk for a bit, if you want.”</p><p> </p><p>He lifted up the small wooden counter and Hinata ducked inside, squatting beside him on the long stool behind the desk. It was definitely cosy back there in the reception, his arm jostling the board from which a number of keys hung every time he moved, resulting in a windchime-esque melody accompanying his gestures.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru tapped the book he was scribbling in. “This is what we use to keep track of all of our guests and rooms. A little old-fashioned maybe, but the electricity isn’t always great up here. We have storms, sometimes.” He smiled.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head. “Is it busy, now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not really.” The teenager spread his hands on the desk in front of him. “It’s never exactly <em>busy</em>, but we don’t have as many guests as we sometimes get. Just that group, a newlywed couple, a few solo travelers stopping over here and there. But we’re a bit understaffed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Understaffed?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Watari isn’t back yet. And Kentarou has also gone to the mainland.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused for a moment, trying to work out who that was. It slowly dawned on him that Shigeru meant Kyoutani. He had heard others using that name for him, too. “Oh? How come?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just to sort out a few things for the wedding. He comes from the mainland, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think your dad mentioned it before.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s going to collect some cousin of his as well, who’s coming to the wedding. I’ve never met the guy, and Kentarou isn’t close to him either. He's bringing a friend, too, which... But he’s the only member of his family who offered to come, so…” He trailed off, looking down. “He’ll be back in a few days, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hummed softly. “You must be kind of lonely.” He had rarely seen Shigeru without Kyoutani or Watari be his side in the time that he had been there. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it’s just me and the old folks.” Hinata winced when he realized he was included in that, letting out a startled chuckle, and Shigeru elbowed him gently. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on everything here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuffled slightly on the stool, as footsteps sounded distantly in the corridor. Nobody appeared, however, so he turned back to Shigeru. “Are you and Kyoutani planning to go back to the mainland? After the wedding?”</p><p> </p><p>Frowning, Shigeru replied; “No? I’m going to stay here and look after the villa. Why, did my dad say something?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” He didn’t say anything for a while. Shigeru was quietly sitting and staring at the closed book again. “I should get back to my room. I wanted to do a bit of cleaning today.”</p><p> </p><p>“God, there’s probably so much old junk in there.” Shigeru blew a strand of hair back from his eyes, his reddish bottom lip jutting out, and then he looked up at Hinata. “I don’t blame you. You can borrow the stuff from the storage cupboard if you like. I think Hanamaki and Matsukawa left it open- if not, they’re around here somewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>Returning outside felt strangely like stepping into a sauna after the coolness of the reception, shielded by those great stone walls. Although the heat was not sweltering- it was still early in the year, after all- Hinata decided that it was too humid to do any real work today. He might just take a mop and try to clean the floor a little. And deep down he had a feeling that cleaning the entirety of the outhouse was going to be more than a one-man job. </p><p> </p><p>When he returned to his hut, he was armed with cleaning supplies.</p><p> </p><p>It was difficult to decide where to actually begin. He toed around the room for a few minutes, nudging various piles of papers hidden down by the side of the couch and inspecting dark marks on the walls. In the end, he decided to start with the main living area.</p><p> </p><p>Experimentally, he wiped a cloth over the wall, and it came back grey with dirt. Grimacing, he rinsed it in the bucket he had pilfered, and repeated the process, gently mopping at the wood with the damp cloth to remove all of the dirt. It did not help too much: In truth, Hinata was not even sure if he was using the correct products or not. Back home in Brazil, he had never had to clean much, and especially not wood. In the instances where he had needed to clean, he had used the same cleaning products, ones that he had not seen in Japan, and certainly not in that storage cupboard.</p><p> </p><p>The cloth caught on parts of the wood where the grain had worn slightly, and there was no varnish or gloss to protect it, but by the time he had scoured the three walls in that area, it did look slightly better.</p><p> </p><p>Next came the ceiling: He used a pole and a long brush to dust away most of the cobwebs and random patches of dirt. He could not understand how some of those mystery stains had gotten up there: Had a drink exploded in someone’s hand and somehow landed all over the ceiling? Best not to think about it.</p><p> </p><p>Then came the floor. He had to momentarily unplug the mini-fridge to use the vacuum. He squeaked in surprise when a large spider ran out from under the couch. After that little shock, he decided to leave clearing out the rest of the clutter that lay about for a day when he wouldn't be alone. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, he dusted off various photos: His favorite was of him, Heitor, Nice and their family. There were a few of him and Pedro at various tourist sites they had visited together, too. He sighed. Pedro hadn't messaged him since he had flown home.</p><p> </p><p>Still, he set the photo frames out with care, remembering how happy he had felt in each one. </p><p> </p><p>It was already afternoon when he began repeating the process with the bedroom, wiping and scrubbing, and his fingers were nearly raw with the cleaning fluid. Whatever it was, it was strong. Sniffing, it smelled suspiciously like bleach. Perhaps he should have worn gloves for this.</p><p> </p><p>Oh well, it was too late now.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, he was satisfied. The place remained cluttered and somewhat dusty, but the worst of the dirt and stains had been removed. As he passed the stairs to the second floor he paused, considering venturing up there, only he did not quite dare. He stared at them for a long moment before wiping his brow with his forearm.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took the cleaning products back to the closet he had wrangled them from and splashed his hands and face in the small bathroom around the back of the outhouse. Then, he went back inside and flopped onto his bed, wincing as the force of it violently shook the frame.</p><p> </p><p>Tonight, he had arranged to Skype with Natsu and their mother. He almost wanted to call them now. He wondered what they were doing. Natsu was probably at work. His mother was likely looking after Hotaru while Natsu worked. What would everybody be doing now back in Brazil? Had they already forgotten him, now that he was no longer in their lives? He knew it was silly to think that they had: They were practically family, after all. But distance could open wounds without meaning to.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling onto his side, Hinata got his phone out- momentarily panicking when he couldn’t feel it in his pocket and imagining it dropping among the cleaning products, only to find it had been knocked loose among the sheets of the bed- and toyed with messaging several of his contacts before catching sight of Kenma's name under his recent chats. They had been casually checking in with each other over the past few days, and Hinata had not had the chance to tell him about their visit the day before.</p><p> </p><p><em>I went to a wildlife park yesterday</em>, he typed out and hit send.</p><p> </p><p>Less than a minute later, he got a reply; <em>Oh really?</em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>I don’t know if you would like it, though</em>, he responded.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Why not?</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Why wouldn’t he like it, Hinata wondered. He was sure Kenma would have liked the open landscapes, the serenity of being away from the noise of the town. </p><p> </p><p>There was something he couldn’t quite place his finger on. In the end, he typed out the message; <em>I think it’s for people with a lot of energy.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Thinking back over the rest of the tour, that much was an understatement. Bokuto had led them on a journey of epic proportions, clambering up great grassy knolls and wandering windy cliffsides to discover birds’ nests, the hidden homes of small furry creatures and a landscape ravaged by wilderness.</p><p> </p><p>A minute later, his phone buzzed again, distracting him from his memories: Kenma had sent him a gif of a kitten that looked almost cartoonishly sad.</p><p> </p><p>He sent one back, of a kitten that had fallen asleep.</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes later, they were trading cute kitten photos back and forth.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“My plate is dirty”, Hanamaki was complaining when Hinata walked into the dining room to join Oikawa and Shigeru for dinner.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki was leaning against the wall by the entrance to the kitchen. The plate clasped within his hands was perfectly clean. As Hinata watched, Matsukawa appeared from around the doorway and whipped him with a towel. “You’ll take that plate and be thankful for it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata chuckled as he took a seat beside Shigeru, who rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Oikawa, across the table from him, was smiling as he watched his friends, face soft in the dim lamplights. After a minute, he seemed to notice Hinata watching, and turned back to his food, his features hardening slightly. </p><p> </p><p>Slumping back into the seat across from Shigeru, Hanamaki slid a plate across to Hinata. Like the other, it was sparkling clean. “You can help yourself, if you want. Matsun’s cooking tonight though, so be careful.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can still hear you!”, a deep voice called from the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>The room was mostly empty, aside from a couple sitting in the opposite corner from the workers, and Hinata skipped a little as he made his way through the doorway with his plate. Inside, the smell of food was overpowering, and he felt his stomach rumble as his gaze roved across the counters where various bowls of salads and pots sat. The broken kettle was gone, and it had not been replaced; where it had sat was now an empty spot.</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa gave him a tiny grin as he piled his plate with meat and rice, and then reached out a hand as though he were intending to ruffle Hinata’s hair, only he then thought better of it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gave him a small half-bow and turned back inside the dining room.</p><p> </p><p>He arrived back at the table at the same time as a lady with brown ringlets and soft, beautiful features. A glance over her back confirmed that she was half of the couple who had been sat in the corner; the man sat alone now, and he stared in their direction with narrowed eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Blinking in surprise, he paused just in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru, hi, sorry to interrupt”, the woman said. Her voice was as beautiful as she was, reminiscent of ringing bells.</p><p> </p><p>“Mika?” Shigeru lifted his head. “Is everything alright?”</p><p> </p><p>Glancing past her once more, Hinata caught that the man with brown hair had a bag on his lap, and it matched the green dress the woman was wearing. He was still glowering over his bowl of food at them.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, everything is fine, thank you.” She threw a nervous glance at Hinata, and he lowered himself into his chair, swapping a confused look with Oikawa, who seemed as bewildered at the intrusion as he felt. She leaned in, her hair falling across her face like a curtain, and murmured to Shigeru; “It’s just…” The rest of her words were lost at the sound of Matsukawa cursing at something in the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>In the background, the man’s eyes narrowed even further.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?”, Oikawa called, without looking away from where the lady was murmuring to his son.</p><p> </p><p>“’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru snickered at whatever she had said, before drawing back slightly to nod at her. “It is. And yes, it’s okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, wonderful.” She clapped her hands together and then turned, to Hinata’s surprise, in his direction. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your dinner, but- well, my husband is a big volleyball fan.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s shoulders relaxed, and he grinned. “Oh?”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced at the man again, who was still glaring, only now he could tell that his cheeks were simmering with heat also.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” She leaned in to whisper; “He’s too shy to ask for your autograph himself.”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem.” Hinata grinned and scrawled an autograph- to the husband, who she told him was named Suguru, encouraging him not to be so shy- on a napkin with the pen she held.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you”, Mika chirped brightly before returning to her husband, brandishing the autograph excitedly. His glare melted into a smile with each step that took her closer to him.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa, Hanamaki and Matsukawa- who leaned in the doorway from the kitchen, having overheard the exchange- snickered when she sat back down.</p><p> </p><p>“We really ought to keep you around, Hinata”, Oikawa joked, and Hanamaki added; “We can start charging.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re newly-weds”, Shigeru told Hinata in an aside, completely ignoring his father and their friends. “A nice couple.” He smiled a little, thoughtful, and Hinata wondered whether people would be saying the same thing about Shigeru and Kyoutani in the not-so-distant future.</p><p> </p><p>As Hinata began to tuck in- the food was markedly different than when Oikawa had cooked: Slightly herbier, fewer spices- the door to the dining room was pushed open, and the shuffling of feet could be heard. Futakuchi, Aone, Fukiage, Moniwa and Sasaya made a beeline toward Hinata, straight through the middle of the hall. They were each dressed up in smart-casualwear rather than their shirts and shorts from earlier, and Hinata could smell the aftershave rolling off of them.</p><p> </p><p>He spotted Mika’s husband staring at them with his mouth hanging open slightly, and he covered his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi stood next to the table, his hands in his pockets, and addressed Hinata directly. “Hey, shorty. Just dropped by to see whether you wanted to come with us.”</p><p> </p><p>Racking his brains, Hinata recalled that Kamasaki had mentioned them going out earlier.</p><p> </p><p>He waved one hand in what he hoped was a polite gesture. “No, I’m good, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata saw Aone watching him intently, and tore his eyes away to look back at Futakuchi when the man spoke.</p><p> </p><p>“Suit yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Try not to get lost this time”, Oikawa cautioned, and the way he said it could by teasing or almost insulting: His lips were set in a hard line but his eyes glimmered.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi’s gaze dragged across to Oikawa. He tilted his head, considering. “We won’t.” He turned back to Hinata. “Oh, we’re going back into town tonight, but we heard there’s a bar nearby that we might try in the next few days. Up by one of the cliffs near here, apparently.”</p><p> </p><p>Again, Oikawa cut in; “Oh, yes, it’s on our grounds.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can show you, if you like.” Hinata became aware that he had a grain of rice stuck to his cheek and attempted to brush it away subtly. “I found it one night in the forest.”</p><p> </p><p>A ripple of murmured agreements ran throughout the group. Futakuchi retracted one hand from his pocket as Hinata held his own out for a high five. Aone, Moniwa, Sasaya and Fukiage all followed suit, and he slapped their palms together one by one.</p><p> </p><p>“Have fun”, he instructed as Fukiage, the last of the group, withdrew. “But not too much fun.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata found himself cringing at his own words, and a snort from Shigeru made him cringe even harder.</p><p> </p><p>“You sound like a dad”, Shigeru tittered, and he ducked his head down under the pretense of focusing on the rest of his meal.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>There were still a few hours after they had eaten until Hinata was due to Skype his family, so he convinced Shigeru to accompany him down to the small court. The air was cooler, the sun just beginning to dip noticeably. Despite the chill hanging in the atmosphere, neither of them were playing seriously enough to break a sweat, mostly hitting the ball about.</p><p> </p><p>It arced up against the sky, almost replacing the sun, before falling back to Earth and into Hinata’s waiting hands.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was still talking, even as he jogged a few steps for the ball. He had been speaking about Kyoutani and how they met; Hinata figured Shigeru must have been missing him. He certainly spoke of him more affectionately when he was not in the vicinity.</p><p> </p><p>“You really didn’t like each other at first?”, Hinata questioned. He couldn’t quite believe it.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no, we hated each other”, said Shigeru. A fleeting grin overtook his face, and then it was replaced with a look of concentration as the ball returned in his direction.</p><p> </p><p>“How come?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just… Different personalities.” He hummed. “And I think we had a very different view of each other back then. Kentarou- Kyoutani- well, you’ve seen him. He can seem like an asshole sometimes. He didn’t seem to care very much about anything when I first met him. But now I know there’s a lot he does care about, really.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata let those words sink in. He could see it, in a way. He asked; “How come he didn’t like you?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru burst out laughing. “He thought I was some arrogant rich boy who had my dad do everything for me. I think he thought, because we run the villa, that we were rich.” He sighed. “We can dream.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve had teammates I didn’t get along with in the past. How did things change for you two?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was dad, really, although I swear, he regrets it now. He kept having Kentarou coming around to do handiwork for us, fixing things. He kept working on the doorway right by reception whenever I was there; we were having some troubles with that lock before, too. And at first, I found it so irritating, even just having him there in the background while we both worked. But eventually, I realized why I was so keen to his presence: Whenever he was nearby, it was as though a huge sign was going off in my head, and all I wanted was to look at him and talk to him, even if that meant provoking him.” He hid his face with his hand, running out of steam. “Wow, it’s so embarrassing to look back on.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata cried out, and Shigeru looked up, seeing the ball was coming towards him. He raised his joined hands in the receiving position Hinata had told him to try, but the ball clipped his thumbs awkwardly and was knocked farther back over Hinata’s head. “Ah- sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata decided to put his old nickname of Ninja Shouyou to the test. He turned on his heels and sprinted, feeling the tug of his underused muscles in his thighs as they picked up speed.</p><p> </p><p>He did not quite make it in time to keep the ball in play, but his fingers met the rough surface just after it made contact with the sand, and his knees joined it, landing firmly among the shockingly warm grains.</p><p> </p><p>In the distance, Shigeru was asking if he was okay, but Hinata simply dug his fingers into the sand, feeling it rushing back down past his palms as he pushed himself up onto his haunches. Keeping his head hanging down, his ginger strands of hair fell about his face. His sides shook with laughter.</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes he forgot this feeling. Even when he lost, volleyball was fun.</p><p> </p><p>A pair of shoes entered his line of sight and, gazing skyward, Hinata found Aone bowing in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” He staggered back up to his feet, brushing off his legs and then dusting his palms against one another. “Hi.”</p><p> </p><p>Aone merely nodded.</p><p> </p><p>The broad man’s frame stepped to one side to reveal Sakunami was also there, a pair of sunglasses hanging from the front of his shirt, with Koganegawa trailing behind him. Even though he stood directly behind Sakunami, the gangly boy's head was clearly visible.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata cocked his head. “What are you doing here? I thought you were all going out?”</p><p> </p><p>“Aone and I elected to stay behind to catch up on sleep”, explained Sakuname. “We’re going out at that local bar tomorrow, so why not relax for tonight? Oh, and Moniwa said Koganegawa had to stay behind this time so we can’t lose him, again.”</p><p> </p><p>Rather proudly, Koganegawa elaborated; “He said I’m a danger to myself.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru had jogged across to Hinata’s side of the net, and he put his hands on his hips as he stopped by them. “Oh, are you going to the cliffside bar tomorrow?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, Hinata said.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm. I might see you there.” Shigeru shrugged. “I don’t normally go there, but Kyoutani should be back, and I think his cousin may like it.”</p><p> </p><p>Listening to him, Hinata was struck with an idea. He thought of Yachi and Yamaguchi, who he had been intending to spend more time with, and then turned to Aone. “Is it alright if I invite a few friends to join us?”</p><p> </p><p>Aone shrugged what he took to be a ‘sure’.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s head back to the villa”, Shigeru decided and began to set off without waiting for the others. Hinata, realizing that their game of volleyball had regrettably come to a close, followed with disappointment but no argument.</p><p> </p><p>They trudged after Shigeru as he led them up to the villa, and then past it. Hinaya had seen the small house beyond previously, yet had never been this close to it. It was little more than a bungalow, stretching out behind the length of the main building.</p><p> </p><p>“This is where we live”, Shigeru explained, when he caught Hinata’s eye. “Me and dad.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru disappeared inside for a moment. When he returned, he held several small bundles in his arms. The rays of the early sunset caught his face among the trees and made his eyes sparkle. He grinned cheekily over the top of the bundles.</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata threw another questioning look his way, he said; “Hammocks. Thought we could have a relaxing evening by the cliffs. Me and Watari did it all the time as kids.” He hefted the pile onto a bare patch of Earth by his feet. "We have a ton because we used to get big groups coming out to stay and they all wanted to live the 'island lifestyle'."</p><p> </p><p>"That's so cool!", Koganegawa enthused. </p><p> </p><p>Shigeru tipped his head. "Careful, though, they haven't been used in ages. Some of them might have holes in." </p><p> </p><p>They set to quick work slinging them about the trees. Hinata was surprised at how deftly Shigeru’s hands formed the knots: He even aided Hinata, retying his so that it was tight enough. Hinata had thought Shigeru slightly slender before, but now he noticed the strength in the boy’s lightly-tanned arms.</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa was the one who struggled, although with getting into the hammock rather than setting it up. His limbs flailed about as he belly-flopped onto the material and then began to slide head-first towards the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Shigeru locked eyes and burst into laughter, until Hinata remembered that he really should be helping. He and Sakunami together managed to right the boy so his feet were on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Kanji. Kanji, do it one leg at a time”, Sakunami instructed. He reaches out and attempted to hold the fabric still, and Hinata gripped the other end as Koganegawa continued to flail.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re good at this, Sakunami”, Koganegawa mumbled, and Hinata noticed high color in the boy’s cheeks. “You should be a- a hammock salesman, or something.”</p><p> </p><p>Sakunami tilted his head and frowned. “A hammock salesman?”</p><p> </p><p>“Or- or something!”</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately Koganegawa made it in, although his method of diving in face-first and sliding the rest of his body up the hammock like an eel until he was lying down was a little unconventional.</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata finally climbed into his own, he turned to his right to find Aone sitting in his own hammock, clearly not having had many problems getting into his: Although, Hinata believed he could have treated it as a stool and merely sat onto it. The large man was smothering sunscreen over his arms, to the point where he was leaving white streaks everywhere. Hinata could not help letting out a small giggle.</p><p> </p><p>Aone turned to him and, as if by way of explanation, said; “I’m pale.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled to himself and settled back onto his hammock. He allowed his arms to come up and rest behind his head as a pillow.</p><p> </p><p>Memories flitted before his eyes. He saw himself, lying on the hammocks in Rio and later Sao Paolo with his teammates, all aimless conversations and cheap alcohol. He wondered again how they were doing; if they were thinking of him, too. He should really call them. He thought of Pedro, of evenings spent simply talking and staring up into the star-filled sky. Of friendships that never turned into more. Of paradises that came to an end.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, there was no such thing as a paradise that lasted forever, and the proof in that came when Hinata heard a dreadfully familiar bleating sound to his right.</p><p> </p><p>He cracked open one eye, before sitting bolt upright and almost flinging himself from his hammock with the sheer force of his movement.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, careful!”, Shigeru yelped, raising one hand in warning.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared. “But it’s right there!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just a goat.” Shigeru seemed puzzled at his outburst. “We get them up here sometimes. They like to climb.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not just a goat”, Hinata muttered. He frowned as the animal chewed at the grass. He was sure it was the same one. That thing owed him a sandal.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you afraid of goats?”, Sakunami was frowning, tilting his sunglasses up on his head to watch Hinata from underneath them.</p><p> </p><p>“It makes sense, they’re scary”, Koganegawa muttered.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s the eyes, right?”, Hinata burst out, and then froze when those very same eyes appeared to turn in his direction. “I’m not scared of every goat. Just this one.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, Hinata.” Sakunami gave him a kind smile, and then turned to the goat and bleated at it.</p><p> </p><p>To Hinata’s surprise, the goat stared at them, and then shuffled back a few steps.</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa immediately began to guffaw. “I take it back, Sakunami. You’re a goat whisperer, not a hammock salesman!”</p><p> </p><p>“How did you do that?”, Hinata asked, and Sakunami shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t completely believe that the goat wasn’t going to try and eat his hammock, but he took comfort in the fact that it was now relatively far away, that they outnumbered it, and that Sakunami may or may not have possessed psychic abilities.</p><p> </p><p>Still, several minutes passed before he lowered himself back down, turning his head to the right to look past Aone and back out over the cliffs instead.</p><p> </p><p>The light was rapidly fading, amber and rose fanning out over the sky and bleeding into the water. If Hinata squinted, he couldn’t tell where the sky ended and the sea began. Only the black jut of the land stood out, separating them from the majesty of the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>It was far too easy to be lulled into a deep sleep.</p><p> </p><p>When he woke up again, it was dark, the stars swirled in the sky above his head just as they had in Brazil, and he had missed the Skype session with his family.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In this AU I literally picture Yahaba and Kyoutani's relationship as being like the characters in Holes.</p><p>Yahaba: My heart is breaking.<br/>Kyoutani: I can fix that.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Usuri Is Selling Kiryuu's Moped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please accept these two chapters as an offering for updating late.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Hinata awoke, two days later, it was raining.</p><p> </p><p>The pattering of the rain jerked the windowsill’s broken lock so harshly that he was afraid it would fall off, and the haunting sounds of the water dripping in the ceiling above came as though they were right in his ear, rendering it impossible to sleep for any longer.</p><p> </p><p>Shrugging on the one rain jacket that he owned, he made his way down the cliff to visit Yamaguchi.</p><p> </p><p>Along the way, he took the time to meander past Yachi’s café although, peering through the fogged-up glass, he did not spot Yachi or anyone else he knew inside. She must not have been working that day. And he had no clue where Kenma disappeared off to when he wasn't working on his reports in the café: Scouting locations was all he would say whenever Hinata asked. </p><p> </p><p>The steady drumming of the rain on his hood had become soothing white noise in his ears by the time he reached the tourist information center. Yamaguchi was crouched over the counter, looking at his phone and frowning, but he glanced up and smiled at Hinata when he entered.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Hinata shrugged his hood down and tried not to drip onto the carpet. “What had you looking so sour?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just the news. It’s always doom and gloom.” He peered out of the windows. “Like the weather out there. Did you walk all the way here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t love the rain, but it’s a nice change. It feels like the good weather here is too good to be true sometimes. It's barely even Spring.” Hinata rolled his shoulders, then stopped sharply when he saw that he was scattering more raindrops. They sank into the carpet in dark spots. “I actually came to invite you out tonight. I told you about that group of guys I’ve been showing around?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, they wanted to go to the bar in the woods, the one by the villa, so I said I’d take them. I asked Yachi and Kenma when I saw them at the café yesterday, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are they coming?”</p><p> </p><p>“They can’t. They both have work.”</p><p> </p><p>He noticed that Yamaguchi’s face had fallen. The taller man was picking at the cuff of his long-sleeved shirt, where a lone thread had become slightly frayed.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve… Been there before”, Yamaguchi murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“You have?” Hinata tilted his head. He could not imagine Yamaguchi of all people at that firepit, dancing around half-naked. Although, he thought, of course it made sense that Yamaguchi had been there at some point, with the amount of time he spent up at the villa.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…” Yamaguchi sunk back down onto his elbows, leaning on the counter. “I always tended to avoid most of the tourist traps in town. The bar up on the cliffs there, that was always more for locals. It’s changed in the last several years or so, though, so I don’t really go there much anymore.” His frown deepened, and the loose thread was in serious danger of being completely unraveled. “Most of the staff are guys who walk around with no shirts serving drinks. A few girls too, but they usually wear shirts.” His cheeks darkened slightly. “Tsukki worked there the first Summer they changed the uniform. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into.”</p><p> </p><p>Ah, of course. Hinata had almost forgotten about Yamaguchi’s old friend. He was beginning to wonder whether he was actually real. “Why don’t you invite him, too?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi merely shook his head. “No, he’s still not here yet. He usually comes to visit with his family. They’ve been coming here for years.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Do they stay for long?”</p><p> </p><p>“Usually a couple of weeks or so. But every year while Tsukki was at university- so for like, ten years because he’s got a Ph.D., he’s really smart- he used to spend his holidays on the island, even when his parents stopped coming.” He paused, seeming to notice how quickly and loudly he was speaking. “Sometimes his brother would join for a couple of weeks. He’s a really nice guy. He worked there, too, actually, at the bar. There were so many Summers Tsukishima and I used to sit up there, waiting for Akiteru to finish his shift.” He laughed to himself for a moment before once again falling silent, looking down and frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if you do want to come with me, you can”, Hinata offered. “I’m sure the place has changed a lot, but it would be nice if you did.”</p><p> </p><p>“… I suppose I could.” Yamaguchi gave him a weak smile. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great!” Hinata grinned wide. “Hey, how about you come with me now, too? There’s something I need to do, and I might need some help.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi’s face was doubtful, his freckles twisting into different patterns as his scrunched up. “I’d like to, but my shift doesn’t end for another hour.”</p><p> </p><p>“Get out.”</p><p> </p><p>Both Hinata and Yamaguchi jolted.</p><p> </p><p>Shimada had appeared from a doorway over Yamaguchi’s shoulder, at the back of the center. He was wearing the same apron as he had the other day, his hair neatly parted in the middle.</p><p> </p><p>Smiling, he continued; “Go with your friend, Tadashi. It’s not like we’re busy, here. Besides, your hovering is freaking me out.”</p><p> </p><p>“A- are you sure?”, Yamaguchi stammered, already removing his apron over his head. “I don’t mind-”</p><p> </p><p>“Just go have fun”, Shimada replied, gently yet firmly, and Hinata grabbed Yamaguchi’s arm and tugged him toward the door before his friend could protest again.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure this is the place?”</p><p> </p><p>“This is definitely the place.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi squinted at the small house in dismay. Hinata could understand. It certainly wasn’t what he had pictured.</p><p> </p><p>The house was set back from the road, behind a black gravel driveway and slightly overgrown front garden; nothing that a good hedge trimmer could not fix, but it definitely needed some care. It reminded Hinata of one of the first places he had lived in when he moved to Brazil: Narrow, with peeling blue paint. One large window at the front, and a smaller one on what had to be the second floor, although the place was so squat it was hard to be sure. Plants trailed across the building and hung over the doorway. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, and it ran in trickles down from the vines.</p><p> </p><p>“It just seems…” Yamaguchi swallowed. “Sketchy.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay”, Hinata reassured him breezily, sounding more confident than he felt. “Answering a sketchy ad is how I ended up here in the first place, and Oikawa turned out to be cool.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi made a face that Hinata did not miss.</p><p> </p><p>They rang the bell, and within moments the door was yanked open by a large man with a shaved head. His broad face, one which would not look out of place on the leader of a motorcycle gang, frowned down at them. Even Yamaguchi, who was a few inches taller than Hinata, was dwarfed by this man.</p><p> </p><p>He stared at them for a moment, and then asked; “Can I help you?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s voice cracked as he spoke. “We came about the moped?”</p><p> </p><p>“My moped?” The man frowned, and Hinata felt Yamaguchi step back slightly.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, no. Did they really have the wrong address? Or was the advertisement some sort of prank?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata reached one hand behind him, letting it sink into the material of Yamaguchi’s shirt, partly to keep Yamaguchi from running away and partly to ground himself. “Um…”</p><p> </p><p>Just as Hinata was beginning to believe that arrangements would shortly be made for their funerals, the door was opened further, and a slender man with light brown hair and a handsome smile appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, yes, they’re here about my ad.”</p><p> </p><p>The giant stared. “What ad?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m selling your moped”, the other man announced cheerily.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re scared of riding it. I told you, if you don’t use it, I’m getting rid of it.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t just sell my moped!” The first man had raised his voice, although he seemed more upset than angry. Still, his words came out in a bellow that had Hinata shrinking half-behind Yamaguchi.</p><p> </p><p>“I told you, it’s just sitting there.” His friend turned to the two visitors, and Hinata was reminded that he was still physically present in this situation and that his fingers were still clenched in Yamaguchi’s shirt. He dropped them swiftly. “Sorry about this. Would you like to view it? It’s just around the side here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hesitantly, Hinata followed him as they made their way around the side of the house, down the black gravel drive. Weeds poked up here and there and Hinata did his best to avoid tripping over them. The large man looked annoyed, and Yamaguchi kept a good meter’s distance from him at all times.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata circled the vehicle slowly, aware of Usuri's eyes on him at all times. He wasn't entirely certain of what to look for: The bike seemed fine, no obvious damage. When the owner, who finally introduced himself as Kiryuu, started it up, it spluttered for a few seconds before jumping to life and purring steadily, like one of the stray cats Hinata frequently saw wandering the streets. </p><p> </p><p>By the time Hinata had inspected the moped, Kiryuu seemed to have cheered up slightly.</p><p> </p><p>He explained; “I brought it a year ago, but… Usuri is right, I’m a little scared of riding it.” He rubbed at the back of his neck with a hand the size of Hinata’s head. “I’m probably not going to get around to it.”</p><p> </p><p>“How much did you pay for it?”, Hinata asked.</p><p> </p><p>Kiryuu told him, and Hinata fished in his pants pocket before handing over the same amount, plus a little extra.</p><p> </p><p>Looking at the money nestled in his paw of a hand, the man smiled. “Hey, thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem.” Hinata settled his hands on the bars of the moped. It really would have been too small for that guy, anyway, he thought. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>He had only walked a few steps, wheeling the bike at his side, when he realized Yamaguchi was still standing on the driveway. He was staring at Usuri.</p><p> </p><p>“Um… You should probably tell your roommate next time, before you put his stuff up for sale”, he said, his smile strained.</p><p> </p><p>Usuri shot him a sharp look, and he immediately turned on his heels to follow Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>On the way back to the villa, Hinata hopped onto the moped. It was a little larger than any other he had ridden before, but that would be good for the number of hills it would have to power up each day. He started the engine and drifted along, oh so slowly, for a few minutes, only to then jump back off and walk alongside Yamaguchi.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you ever had a moped before?”, Yamaguchi queried, peering at Hinata from the corner of one eye as they neared the top of the first hill.</p><p> </p><p>“I used to be a delivery boy back in Brazil.” Hinata grunted as he forced the bike over the last part of the incline, only to be faced by the next- steeper- hill ahead. Internally, he considered just getting back on the moped, only it was difficult to keep it going slowly and he didn’t want to simply abandon Yamaguchi to walk. And, for as large as it was, he was unsure whether they would both fit on it. </p><p> </p><p>“When was that?”</p><p> </p><p>“… Too many years ago.”</p><p> </p><p>Once they had finally reached the villa, Hinata collapsed by the run-down stone wall at the entrance, resting his elbows on his knees and grimacing as he felt the wet and cold seeping in under his clothes. He was going to have to shower before he went out again later. Hopefully, there would be enough warm water left for him. And he would probably have to take a nap, too: All the weeks of no practicing and sleeping in had been catching up with him.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Hinata! Who’s this?”, Obara called, waving one hand.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata waited until they were a little closer to the group to answer. Branches crunched loudly under his feet and he raised his voice above the din. “Hey, guys. This is my friend, Yamaguchi.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi gave them a polite smile, hovering close to Hinata. </p><p> </p><p>There was a beat of silence. Hinata saw Futakuchi's eyes narrowing as he looked Yamaguchi up and down, in a way that had become oddly familiar. Hinata hoped that Yamaguchi knew he meant nothing by his scrutinization: That was just the way Futakuchi was.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, then.” Hinata put his hands on his sides, speaking to cover up the awkwardness of the moment. “Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi remained close to Hinata as they made their way into the forest, as though afraid he would be abandoned and left along with the others. Although the rain had stopped, wet leaves brushed about their ankles, the final remnants of the downpour transferring onto their skin and clothes.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata attempted to remember the path he had traced that one night; not that it was difficult with the blaring of the music through the trees. Stumbling footsteps were loud behind him as he made his way along. Soon the crumbling buildings that he had come across before were in sight and he skirted around them, following the noise until he came to the clearing ringed with fallen tree trunks and lit up by a roaring bonfire.</p><p> </p><p>A few people turned to look at them as they entered yet nobody paid them any particular attention. When Hinata weaved past the logs, he saw that the clearing was essentially a large fire pit, a small wooden shack being used as a bar off to one side under the trees, and large fallen tree trunks doubling as benches around the edges of the space. A few people were dancing near the fire, albeit not as many as Hinata recalled from his vaguely feverish memories, and they were doubled too, long shadows stretching away from their bodies and capering about the clearing.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s weird being back here”, Yamaguchi muttered close to his ear, and Hinata turned to see his friend was staring at the fire with wide eyes. </p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi and the others were already heading in the direction of the bar, so Hinata and Yamaguchi trailed after them. Hinata hadn’t had the chance to see all of them very much over the last couple of days, and it saddened him knowing that they would be leaving soon. The exception was Koganegawa: If anything, he had spent too much time with the young man. When Hinata had been at the café the day before, he had appeared and spent a solid twenty minutes showing off the magnets he had purchased in the shops in town they had been perusing. Yachi and Kenma had joined Hinata in reviewing each one, taking the business very seriously. </p><p> </p><p>That had almost been as fun as begging Natsu's forgiveness for missing their scheduled family time. </p><p> </p><p>"Haruto misses her uncle Shouyou", she had claimed, while Haruto herself- leaning against her mother's shoulder over the back of the couch- merely yawned and waved. </p><p> </p><p>Glancing about the clearing, Hinata felt his eyes beginning to adjust to the sudden brilliant blaze of light and the interplaying shadows. He began to pick out the features of the people there. Quite a few were apparently locals, but many also seemed to work at the bar, judging by the lack of clothing and the fact that they were giving out or collecting glasses.</p><p> </p><p>He turned his head quickly as he spied the man with the wild red hair who had confronted him previously. Now, of course, he knew the man was not a part of some satanic cult; however, he still looked the part, and Hinata was not keen to talk to him. There was a girl- or, rather, woman, since she seemed a few years older than Hinata himself- with short blonde hair, too, yelling at a group of young people as she steered a tray of drinks around them, and…</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I think I know that guy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who?” Yamaguchi frowned at him, and then followed his line of sight. “Bokuto?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know him, too?”, Hinata gaped.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi hastily ducked his head. “A little. Not well.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto must have spotted them too, for he was quickly by their side. The impressive muscles that had previously strained under his shirt were now on show, painted a golden color that matched with his eyes in the firelight. It had to have been body paint, Hinata reckoned, as he stared in awe at the way the man's skin glistened.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, it’s you!”, he cried, laughing and pointing to Hinata. He settled his hands on his hips, his booming laugh fading when he spotted Yamaguchi. His head tilted to one side, a gesture that felt strangely familiar to Hinata. “And you! Tsukki’s friend!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Yamaguchi”, Yamaguchi said quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s great to see you!”, Bokuto continued, regardless. He paused again as if a thought had struck him. “Oh man, Kuroo is just over here, too. Come say hi!” He swayed around to face Hinata. “Kuroo is my friend, he’s the bartender here.”</p><p> </p><p>They worked their way to the front of the bar. Inside the hut was a fairly small working space, and three men were dodging around each other as they fetched drinks for customers on each side. Various bottles lined the walls behind the counters and, from what Hinata could see, sat on shelves underneath also. </p><p> </p><p>A tall man with a wicked grin and fluffy black hair that stood up on his head turned to them. “Oh, hey, Yamaguchi!” His eyes flitted to either side, and the grin turned bemused. “Where’s Tsukki? And who’s this?”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi dipped his head. “This is Hinata. He works at the villa now. And Tsukishima isn’t here yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh. Weird.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi merely shrugged. “They’ve not been coming until around April the last couple of years anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah. Guess I’m just not used to you coming here without him.” With that, Kuroo turned away, sliding the drink he had been making across the bar to its intended recipient.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto leaned toward Hinata conspiratorially. “Wildlife conservation doesn’t pay what it used to, so Kuroo hooked me up with a side job here. He's also an environmentalist."</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi snorted at that, for some reason.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I’m a good friend.” The bartender made a face that Hinata thought was supposed to look angelic. In reality, it was more demonic than anything else, his dark eyebrows raised and his smirk verging on a sneer.</p><p> </p><p>“Kuroo!”, an angry voice yelled, and the group swiveled their heads to see one of the other bartenders glaring over at Kuroo. “You’re working, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo rolled his eyes but turned to take an order from the blonde woman who had been shouting before. </p><p> </p><p>The other bartender- a short man with light hair and a scowl- eyed Hinata and his friends for a moment before turning away again.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s Yaku”, Bokuto winced. “He’s fun, really. A little bit bossy sometimes.” His face relaxed. “I’m meant to be on trash duty tonight, but it’s kind of quiet honestly. Do you guys want a drink or anything?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m good”, Hinata muttered. Futakuchi was already ordering shots, he saw over Yamaguchi’s shoulder, so he should probably keep an eye on what was going on over there.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi also shook his head. “No, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto waved Yaku over and ordered a glass for himself.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re meant to be cleaning”, Yaku reminded him while he poured the drink.</p><p> </p><p>“I know, but I’ll pay for it, I swear.”</p><p> </p><p>"That's not what I said." Although Yaku sighed and finished pouring, he held the glass out of reach until Bokuto delved into his pocket and passed the cash across the bar to him. Hinata was fairly certain that Bokuto could just lean over and take the glass since he dwarfed the diminutive Yaku, but he didn’t. Hinata was not entirely sure whether that was because Bokuto was not aware that he could do so, or because he was nice enough not to.</p><p> </p><p>“So, is this fire pit some kind of local tradition?”, a voice asked at Hinata’s shoulder, and he turned to find that Futakuchi had muscled his way into their conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto tilted his head again. “Local tradition?”</p><p> </p><p>“I swear there was some culture where they worship fire? Is that here?”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku, reappearing on the other side of the bar to wipe a spillage on the counter, was the one to respond when Bokuto remained silent with a confused look on his face; “Perhaps. As far as I know, we just do it to keep warm.”</p><p> </p><p>“And it looks cool”, Bokuto added.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi nodded at that. “It’s way different up here than going out in town.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku snorted. “Of course. You get all the dumb tourists down there- present company excluded, of course.” He sighed. “It seems that more people are coming every year. I think the worst part is so many of them claim to want to know more about the local culture and traditions when really they just want to post something about it on their social media and then get drunk.”</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though”, Bokuto argued. “More tourists means more people learning about us, and more money coming in to the island.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo, who had migrated his way back to them as he dried some glasses, put in; “Yeah, but you still want them to come for the right reasons, though. And be appreciative of our everyday lives.” He drew in a breath and stood straight, no longer slouching. He really was tall. “Anyway, it’s not the tourists that are the worst part, it’s the companies that don’t even care-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, here we go again.” Yaku rolled his eyes. "Remind me how lighting a giant fire in the middle of some trees is more environmentally friendly than-"</p><p> </p><p>And then a hand was on each of their shoulders: The other bartender, a man roughly equally between their heights, was smiling a tired smile.</p><p> </p><p>He said; “I’m just going to stop you two right there. Come help me.”</p><p> </p><p>Miraculously, the two fell silent and allowed themselves to be led away.</p><p> </p><p>Turning away from them, Bokuto asked; “Want to dance?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitated for a moment. He should probably stick around and keep an eye on Futakuchi and the others. They were only young, after all. </p><p> </p><p>Then he realized how old that very thought process made him feel, and turned to beam at Bokuto. “Okay!”</p><p> </p><p>The others slipped away into the background as Hinata and Bokuto made their way towards the fire. It was incredibly warm there, especially as they began to move, and Hinata thought he could maybe appreciate why the workers here didn’t wear so many clothes.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto wasn’t the best dancer: He mostly threw his arms about and jumped up and down. Hinata didn’t consider himself a great dancer necessarily, however some of his friends in Brazil had taught him a little. Tonight, however, he decided to give in and simply echoed Bokuto’s movements, leaping as high as his legs would allow without twinging and swaying in time to the music.</p><p> </p><p>A flash of movement caught his eye for some reason, amongst the small crowd of people dancing, and he caught sight of Kyoutani and Shigeru clinging to each other as they also swayed in time to the music. They looked more than a little drunk. He caught their eyes, and Shigeru detached himself long enough to wave at Hinata, before Kyoutani swept him back in. Watching them, Hinata was certain that any doubts Oikawa had regarding the wedding were unfounded.</p><p> </p><p>Something else came to attention in Hinata’s mind: With all the fun he had been having, he had abandoned Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi, who he had convinced to come, even though the man hadn’t seemed keen. A pang of guilt hit him, and he turned, nearly running into a tall young man with dark spiky hair, who frowned down at Hinata as he side-stepped around him.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, his search turned up a result: Yamaguchi was seated on one of the logs, watching the dancers with wide eyes. He wasn’t alone. Koganegawa sat by his side, swinging his long legs against the rough bark.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you guys doing over here?”, he asked as he joined them.</p><p> </p><p>“That guy- his brother, I think- told him to stay put, so I figured I should sit with him”, Yamaguchi responded lightly and then, as Koganegawa continued to ramble about how maybe they could go to town to get food after this, he added; “I don’t know many places that will still be open.”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa pouted. “That restaurant was still open the other night.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah!”, Hinata recalled, and then paused. “But I can’t see them letting you in.”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced about to see where Futakuchi and the others were, only to find that two pairs of eyes were staring in their direction. The crazy red-haired man was looking at them, and his thin, pointy elbow was nudging a guy- probably just a teenager despite his height- with a black bowl-cut their way.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no”, Yamaguchi hissed under his breath. Koganegawa, beside him, continued to swing his legs, seemingly unaware of the situation.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Hinata grabbed at his arm. “Who is he?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tendou Satori”, Yamaguchi murmured back. “He’s a bit of a nut job. I don’t know the other kid, though.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy with the bowl-cut came closer, and he stopped directly in front of them. Hinata could see the sweat dripping down from under his hairline. Gross. He wrinkled his nose.</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa finally seemed to notice that they had a visitor, and glanced about with interest.</p><p> </p><p>The bowl-cut boy began; “Hello, can I haaaa-” His eyes seemed to bulge out of his face as he met Koganegawa’s own, and he went quiet.</p><p> </p><p>Hina cocked his head and exchanged a glance with Yamaguchi, confusion rippling through him.</p><p> </p><p>An awkward beat of silence passed.</p><p> </p><p>The boy whispered; “Fuck.”</p><p> </p><p>Then, he turned and left as swiftly as he had come.</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa and Hinata looked at each other and burst out laughing. After a moment, Yamaguchi’s giggles joined theirs.</p><p> </p><p>“What the hell?”, Koganegawa spluttered.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know!”, cried Hinata. The boy was standing back with Tendou. As Hinata watched, he looked over at them with a mortified expression on his face, and then he was covering it with his hands as he went redder than Hinata believed was humanly possible. Poor kid.</p><p> </p><p>He returned to scanning the area, searching for the others. The only ones he could see were Sasaya and Moniwa, who were still stood by the bar. Hinata locked eyes with Moniwa as his also pivoted about the area, and understood that they were looking for the same thing. The two of them frowned at each other.</p><p> </p><p>Standing, Hinata spied Aone’s figure in the distance, through some trees across the other side of the fire. The trees were parted slightly, diagonally past the bar, and the path underneath the canopy was heavily shadowed where the trunks shielded it from the light. Still, Aone's back was unmistakable.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait here”, he murmured, and then crossed the clearing, dodging bodies, in order to trudge through the undergrowth.</p><p> </p><p>He found that the path emerged by the edge of the cliff. Although it was high-up and steep, there was also a path down to the water’s edge that ran back and forth. A bench perched by the edge, enclosed by the trees, looking out over the sea. Although in this part of the island rocky outcrops grew up above the waves, the water around them was remarkably calm. Far in the distance, lights twinkled like stars along the edge of the island that stretched around to the right.</p><p> </p><p>It was beautiful. Serene.</p><p> </p><p>Or, it would have been, if not for Futakuchi’s sobbing.</p><p> </p><p>“There, there.” Obara was patting Futakuchi’s shoulder where Futakuchi slumped onto him on the bench. From the wet patch on his shirt, the scene appeared to have been playing out for a while.</p><p> </p><p>Aone stood awkwardly to the side with Onagawara, Fukiage and Sakunami, all four of them watching in silence.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki, sitting on Futakuchi’s other side, was smoking a cigarette and staring out across the sea, ignoring the sobbing to his right.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?”, Hinata mouthed more than said.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s drunk”, Fukiage replied succinctly.</p><p> </p><p>“The real reason-”, Futakuchi was sobbing, “the real reason I waited to get my teeth out. I waited until we were all together. I was scared. I felt better with- with my friends here.”</p><p> </p><p>Obara soothed; “It’s okay.” He brushed one hand over Futakuchi’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>Futakuchi sat upright suddenly, his eyes flying open. He reached for Kamasaki’s cigarette and went to take a drag on it.</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Kamasaki yanked it back. “You’ll give yourself dry socket.”</p><p> </p><p>“You really do look out for me.” Futakuchi allowed Kamasaki to take it, and then leaned into the larger man's side, looping an arm across his chest. “Even though I can be an asshole.”</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki sighed. “I’ll let it slide because you’re getting married so you’re kind of emotional, but if you ever act sappy like this with me again I’m going to record all of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata decided to leave them to it, as amusing as it was: The others seemed fairly sober. Futakuchi was in safe hands. Nodding to Aone, he extracted himself from the trees and back into the clearing.</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa had been drawn into a conversation with the bowl-cut guy, the two of them sitting a few meters apart from Yamaguchi on a tree trunk. Moniwa was frowning at them. As he watched, Sasaya made his way over and began to talk to them, hands on his hips. The red-haired man- Tendou Satori- was also watching, mirth apparent on his features.</p><p> </p><p>Someone touched Hinata’s arm, and he jumped.</p><p> </p><p>“I just came to say goodnight”, Shigeru laughed. His eyes shone under the moonlight, his hair turned silvery. “Did you want to walk back with us?”</p><p> </p><p>Over his shoulder, Hinata could see Kyoutani stood by the bar, talking to somebody with spiked dark hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if I should leave…” Hinata glanced back over his own shoulder. He did feel tired…</p><p> </p><p>“They’re big boys, they’ll find their way back.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, then. Just give me one minute.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata dashed over to Bokuto, who was still dancing. Disgustingly, he was virtually dripping sweat. “Bokuto! Bokuto!”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto glanced over and caught his eye, before enveloping Hinata in a hug as though they were old friends who had not seen each other in decades. “Hinata!”</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto! Do you think you can make sure my friends get home?”, Hinata demanded, slipping away from the wet clutches of the part-time park ranger. Looking down, he noticed that his forearms were now printed with a faint metallic shine, and he refrained from wiping it off on his clothes.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, I can!” Bokuto ruffled Hinata’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>For some reason, Hinata decided that he could trust him. His round, golden eyes were earnest.</p><p> </p><p>Still, as he made to follow Shigeru and Kyoutani, he gestured at Yamaguchi and Koganegawa to follow him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As I was rewriting my plans for this fic, I began to think up an idea that would make it very angsty and sad... Not sure whether I want to go down that route or keep it sort-of lighthearted, so stay tuned and let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Futakuchi Is Getting Married</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This might be a strange thing to say but I’m actually going to miss you, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked up as he handed the last suitcase to Fukiage, and then his face broke into a smile. The fact that it was Fukiage saying that especially was touching: In the time he had spent with them, he was probably the one Hinata had spoken to least, with the possible exception of Onagawara.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you. I’m going to miss you guys, too.” The words came easily enough, despite the genuine emotion behind them that had kept him up the night before, his head buzzing with thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>The motor of the boat chugged slowly in the background, almost like the steady ticking of a clock, and seagulls cried in the distance. Their group stood by the docks, along with several others chattering in tiny clusters.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was glad that Bokuto had managed to get the guys back alright when they went out the other day. Futakuchi still had scratches up one leg, which Hinata had treated, from the detour that had led them close to a thorn bush along the way, but he was the only casualty. And Aone had apparently enjoyed the animal facts that Bokuto had provided them with along the way.</p><p> </p><p>“I guess this is it”, Sasaya said, looping his fingers in his belt in a way that had grown familiar over the last several days. His smile was light. “Thank you for everything, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Obara nodded. “Yes, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a problem. I’m just glad you all had a good time.” Hinata surveyed the group, rocking on the balls of his feet as he did so. Ridiculously, he felt tears well in his eyes, and he swallowed them down. He had barely cried when he left Brazil. Why was he getting all emotional now?</p><p> </p><p>“Well, apart from me nearly losing my leg. Oh, and when we almost managed to lose Kanji”, Futakuchi reminded, and a ripple of laughter danced through the group.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki shrugged. “Well, there’s always next time.”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them grinned at each other, and Hinata found himself biting his lip as Moniwa nudged his way between them, throwing his elbows out to either side. Hinata felt that, with the bright glow of the early sunlight, the scene was already tinged with nostalgia.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll definitely have to come back, one day”, said Futakuchi. “I’ll bring Mai. She’d like it here.” He turned to where Aone was staring at him. “<em>Yes</em>, you can come, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled. “I’d love to meet her.”</p><p> </p><p>Spluttering noises made him jump when the engine of the boat stuttered and revved. There were shouts and a distant clinking sound, and when he turned he saw that the workers at the docks were removing the chain across the platform. The soon-to-be passengers who had been milling about began to converge, preparing to board.</p><p> </p><p>A slight wind blew at Hinata’s clothes, and when he looked back to the group he noted that, in the distance, the sky was once more turning grey. He hoped they would make it back to shore in time to avoid any rain that came.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a safe voyage home”, he instructed. “And I hope the wedding goes well.”</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, Futakuchi ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, after this trip, I can’t wait to get home and settled. I’d rather just skip the wedding at this point.”</p><p> </p><p>Koganegawa’s head jerked around, and that one little tuft of hair that always stuck up at the front bounced with the movement. “You’re getting married?”</p><p> </p><p>His voice was high-pitched, almost a shriek.</p><p> </p><p>Kamasaki groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Kanji, you knew that already”, Sakunami scolded.</p><p> </p><p>“Please tell me you knew that already”, sighed Obara.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, I knew Futakuchi and Mai were getting married, but…" He blinked around owlishly. "They’re getting married! As soon as we get back!”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I not have a break first?”, Futakuchi asked, and Moniwa scowled at him.</p><p> </p><p>Onagawara said; “We should probably board now."</p><p> </p><p>They grabbed at their bags, hefting them up with sighs. Some of them were taking last looks around the strip of beach, while others were shuffling their feet, already staring at the boat.</p><p> </p><p>Aone met Hinata’s gaze with a frown. The question there was evident.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll stay in touch”, Hinata promised, although he was unsure of how truthful that was. He was embraced in a hug by each of them, one by one. It made a giggle bubble at his lips when Koganegawa stooped to hug him. He forgot sometimes how tall the boy actually was.</p><p> </p><p>When Aone hugged him, he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sturdy body wrapped about him.</p><p> </p><p>And, before he knew it, then they were all on board, calling out farewells.</p><p> </p><p>“Goodbye!”, Hinata cried back, watching their faces grow ever smaller and more indistinct.</p><p> </p><p>The waves danced about the boat, carrying them off into the distance. Hinata imagined he could see the distant shore they were headed toward, and he continued to wave even when they were nothing but a pinprick on the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Music was playing, somewhere distant from the courtyard when he arrived back at the villa. Although it originated from the same direction as the bar it was not the same throbbing dance music that they usually played, but instead, some light tune consisting largely of strumming guitars and crooning voices.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata followed the sounds around the main building to find, between the ramshackle stone hotel and the small bungalow where Shigeru had said he and Oikawa lived, around where they had hung up the hammocks before, were Hanamaki and Matsukawa. They were each leaned back on a couple of foldable deckchairs, wearing shorts and light shirts in spite of the increasingly cold weather, and had their eyes closed. The music played from a radio positioned between their chairs.</p><p> </p><p>“Is this what you call working?”, Hinata asked as he made his way closer. His insides still felt as though they had been twisted and wrung together after saying goodbye but seeing those two like that brought a grin to his face. “Oikawa was right to complain about you.”</p><p> </p><p>As he approached, they both opened their eyes. Hanamaki shuffled upright in his seat while Matsukawa slouched further down.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey, now! Where have <em>you</em> been then?”</p><p> </p><p>He shrugged, hovering in front of them. “Taking those guys down to the docks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Damnit.” Hanamaki blew air from one corner of his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, Makki, can’t you see he’s sad?”, Matsukawa asked. His face was as blank as always and Hinata found it impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic or if he was genuinely concerned.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, he is.” Hanamaki frowned. “Pull up a hammock, young Hinata, and talk to us.”</p><p> </p><p>He gestured one hand to the side and Hinata saw that, leaning against the side of the cottage, were the wrapped bundles that the hammocks had been tied up in.</p><p> </p><p>He decided to stay standing rather than deal with the hassle of unraveling and setting up one of the packages.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought he was older than us”, Matsukawa was saying.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s thirty-four.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh. You learn something new every day.” The curly dark-haired man peered at Hinata, face turning downward in sympathy. “That’s the thing about working here; you meet so many awesome people, but they always leave in the end.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki nodded. “Yep. We know the thrill of those brief friendships well.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if I’d even be friends with them in a normal situation”, Hinata admitted hesitantly. It felt safe to tell them that. “But here…”</p><p> </p><p>“Everything happens quickly here. Or slowly.” Shrugging, Hanamaki sank back down in his seat and laced his hands across his chest. “Time moves funny. That’s why I’m glad I’ve got this guy. And Oikawa.”</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa grinned at him, and Hinata swallowed about the lump in his throat.</p><p> </p><p>“I need to get back to the outhouse. I’ll see you guys at lunch maybe.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata!” Matsukawa’s cry had him slowing and turning back. He raised an eyebrow. That was the loudest he'd ever heard the man speak.</p><p> </p><p>“It must get lonely down there. We joke a lot-” Matsukawa paused, his face breaking wide open in a grin as he locked eyes with Hanamaki, “-but really, you can talk to us. If you want to.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re all friends here”, Hanamaki added. “We don’t bite.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not all the time.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata managed a wobbly smile. “Thanks, guys. I’ll keep it in mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Upon returning to the outhouse, he frowned at the realization that his lock was still broken: He shouldered the door open with ease. Probably he should have mentioned that to Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Oh, well. He would tell them at lunch.</p><p> </p><p>Closing the door behind him, the sound of the waves that served as an almost-permanent backdrop to his life now was silenced, and the cawing of the gulls along with it. The silence settled heavily around him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sat down on the couch and the whole thing sunk under his weight, the sound of the springs collapsing about him. And then that too fell silent, and he was left with his own thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>He was going to miss them: That much was true. He wished he’d had the chance to know some of them better. Perhaps, if he’d had the chance to know Aone a little more…</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shook his head. Another time, maybe. But when it was someone here on holiday, it would not be something that felt real.</p><p> </p><p>The image of the boat on the horizon was still on his mind, and he had the odd urge to climb up into the outhouse roof. He knew it would not still be there: But there may be another boat, heading away or drawing closer.</p><p> </p><p>Facing the stairs and the darkness they led into, he swallowed. The temperature seemed to drop as he ascended the steps, taking them carefully and one at a time so as not to trip. The walls had to be thick, he thought, on this side to account for the steps, as steep as they were.</p><p> </p><p>There was no handrail and so he let his palms dust over the sides of the thin passageway, meeting stone walls that had never known the light of the sun. He shuddered as he imagined small creatures darting away from his fingertips, hiding in the splits along the stones.</p><p> </p><p>Still, he reached the second floor faster than he remembered, after only a dozen large steps. He used his shoulder to heave the trapdoor open. It gave with a groan, thudding to the floor on the other side.</p><p> </p><p>With the sun streaming in almost directly overhead from the damaged area of the roof, he had a fairly good view of the area this time. It consisted of a large rectangle, the floors all wooden planks that were slightly gapped. Low, sloping ceilings were overhead, and the stone walls were nearly hidden where they were so cluttered with junk, mainly boxes. He caught sight of one nearby that was slightly less dusty than the others and figured that must have been the one that he had disturbed previously, with the volleyball magazines inside. Hinata wondered whether it would be an invasion of privacy to take a few to read through.</p><p> </p><p>Gathering his courage, he swung his legs over the lip of the entrance and stood, moving carefully away from the trapdoor and into the center of the space. He had to bat a few cobwebs out of his face as he went.</p><p> </p><p>He smiled to himself when he noticed that in one corner of the room there was a volleyball: A Molten. Leaning down, he ran one hand across the surface, feeling the slight grooves in it, and then frowned when his palm came away caked in grey.</p><p> </p><p>Coughing because of the dust, he goes back to the box he had found before. Before prying the lid off, he hesitated: There were three other boxes there, as well. Slightly larger ones.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata lifted the lid from the first one, and then blinked in surprise. Inside, there were baby clothes and baby toys, and images of who Hinata assumed was Shigeru at the bottom. The dates inscribed on the back seemed to confirm it. Most of them were typical baby photos: Images of Shigeru sitting in a high chair, his chubby face covered in food; other photos of little Shigeru sitting on a couch that Hinata recognized, after a few seconds of thought, to be the same one that was downstairs in the outhouse at that very moment.</p><p> </p><p>One photo gave him pause. Shigeru- maybe four or five years old- was seated on the lap of an elderly man: Not a Japanese man, a European, perhaps. He had a shock of grey-white hair and stubble that matched. A Western woman was also by his side, smiling fondly at the child.</p><p> </p><p>The others were slightly less interesting: The next box, the smallest of the bunch, held only a bundle of photos. Photos of Oikawa and Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and several other men he did not know. <em>Former workers at the villa, perhaps?</em> Hinata thought he even caught a glimpse of the Caucasian man in the background of one. Another man, in particular, appeared in several, although in one- strangely- his face had been scribbled over in green marker pen.</p><p> </p><p>After flipping through the first two dozen or so, Hinata put them back into the box, feeling that he was probing too much.</p><p> </p><p>Still, he couldn’t help at least glancing into the last box. All that one contained were some old clothes: Both male and female, it seemed. <em>Shigeru's mother?</em> The thought came into his head before he could stop it.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t want to dig too deeply, yet as he went to replace the lid, a triangle of white caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>One corner of piece of paper was sticking up from the bottom of the box, among the clothes.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gave it a small tug, gently attempting to untangle it.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t a piece of paper. It was another photo. Staring up from the page were two young boys, maybe around ten or so. One of them was holding a fishing pole; the other had a ball tucked under their arm. Neither of them were smiling. In fact, the one with the pole almost seemed to be glaring into the camera. He thought that the other one might be Oikawa: He wasn’t entirely certain, but there was something in the shape of the face, the fluffy light brown hair, that seemed to indicate it.</p><p> </p><p>That was enough probing for one day, he decided as he tucked the photo away once more. Standing straight up, Hinata placed his hands on his hips and stared around at the room. If he was going to stay here for much longer, he would probably want to clear this room out.</p><p> </p><p>But, there wasn’t much point in that, considering he was likely going to move on again soon, head back home. There was no ise in putting down roots here. He should return to his real family. He wondered, briefly, whether it would be so bad to meet someone and settle down, to have children running around his feet. He wondered if he was being selfish, staying away by himself.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling tired again, and slightly ill, Hinata descended back down to the first floor, slamming the trapdoor shut behind him.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>He had half-hoped to meet Kenma at the café that afternoon, but to Hinata’s intense surprise it was closed.</p><p> </p><p>Scowling to himself, he huddled down in his jacket against the wind, and tried the door one last time.</p><p> </p><p>It was no use: It was locked, and the fluorescent lights were off.</p><p> </p><p>He was about to turn away- he needed groceries anyway, he could head to the store along the main street with the strange logo perhaps- when a flicker of movement from inside caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>Peering in the window, he could just make out Yachi, sitting in the shade with her wisp of a ponytail hanging over one shoulder. She appeared to be concentrating on something on the table she sat at.</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata tapped gently on the window she jerked her head up, frowning, before relaxing upon seeing who it was.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata!”, she greeted when she flung the door open. He noticed that, rather than the apron she usually donned, she was wrapped in an oversized brown jumper that rippled whenever she moved her arms. “Did you need something?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was just hoping to meet Kenma”, he answered. The other person he had wanted to form a connection with, that was due to leave them at some point: Kenma himself had been a little vague on the timeline.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi shrugged, still smiling. “He said he had some work to do today. Scouting out a location for his business, apparently.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tried not to look too disappointed.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to come in?”, she asked, her eyes soft when Hinata glanced back up at her. “I haven’t seen you for some time?”</p><p> </p><p>Walking into the café, Hinata said; “Yes, I’ve been showing some guests around up at the villa. Working there.” He glanced over at the table. “What are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“My other job.”</p><p> </p><p>He blinked at her. “Drawing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” She hummed, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“Can I see?”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi laughed. “Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata cocked his head at the sound of her tinkling giggles, she explained; “I never used to like showing people my drawings. I didn’t have much confidence. But now I’m fine with it. This is just my sketchbook, I was just doing some practice. You can look through while I make us some tea, if you’d like.”</p><p> </p><p>She gestured at the pages splayed open over the table, and Hinata saw the beginnings of forms in the shapes etched there. He moved closer, taking the seat next to where she had been.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t-”, Yachi stuttered, and Hinata looked up at her over the pages. Her face had gone scarlet. “Don’t expect them to be perfect. They’re really not. But you might like them.”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced across them as she departed, almost afraid to touch and disrupt any kind of order she had established. The images were all very dynamic: The movement was clear in the pages, a twisting figure here, a flapping skirt there. A lot of them were outlines, basic yet instantly recognizable as people wandering what seemed to be the beach. Sunhats, dresses, and glasses dotted about added detail to the otherwise shapeless forms.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi came back with the tea, setting it down on a small plate in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“These are so good, Yachi”, he told her, and her eyes shone.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you. You’re too kind.”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean it! You’re talented.”</p><p> </p><p>She gave a tiny smile. “Not talent. Just practice.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded, and reached for his tea, only to withdraw his hand when he found that even the handle was scalding. Upon closer inspection, he noticed tendrils of steam curling up from the rim of the cup.</p><p> </p><p>“How is everything going up at the villa?”, Yachi asked. “The work that you’re doing, is that for Oikawa?”</p><p> </p><p>“It is.” He nodded. “And it’s going alright, I suppose.”</p><p> </p><p>“You suppose?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and then looked down at her hands, clasped on the table. “Sorry, if I’m- intruding.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, not at all. Yachi, I thought you knew by now, I don’t mind what you ask me. I've- ah, I've never been a private person.” Hinata chuckled, before admitting; “But I think I have mixed feelings. It was great to have met them, but I wish I had more time with them. It felt like a brief rush. Especially, there was one of them that I thought I might have felt… A connection with. But we didn’t explore it, obviously. I don’t even know if it was really there.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi hummed. “That’s tough. These kind of things can be intense.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not sure this is for me.” His voice came out tremulously. “Maybe I should just go home.”</p><p> </p><p>“But I thought you wanted to spend some more time here? Relax and enjoy yourself?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to keep on making connections that have to break in the end.” Again, Hinata found himself thinking of Brazil. He had wanted to return home, to find something permanent for himself. But the thought of doing that had so repulsed him that he had come here instead. So now why complain about those who flitted in and out of his life as he did to others?</p><p> </p><p>Yachi had lifted her own cup to her lips, and she blew gently on it, letting her breath skid across the surface so the small reverberations cooled the liquid. After a moment, she asked; “What does it matter? As long as they mattered to you, right? Even if you leave, I’ll remember you, even though I didn’t know you very long.” She paused. “You can choose what you want to do, but I would like it if you stayed.”</p><p> </p><p>Hesitantly, she set the cup down and leaned forward to touch Hinata’s wrist with the palm of her hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Hinata felt himself flushing, and he withdrew his hand. He liked Yachi, he really did. He would hate to have given her the wrong impression.</p><p> </p><p>When her questioning gaze flitted in his direction, he dropped his eyes to the table.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no”, Yachi blurted, and the blush was back. “I didn’t mean. I- I sort of guessed you weren’t… Straight.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jolted, almost knocking his cup over. Along with Futakuchi, that made it the second person to know since he had arrived. He wondered whether there was something in the water here.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you?”, Yachi asked, and it was clear what she meant.</p><p> </p><p>Still keeping his head down, Hinata answered; “Sort of.” His clothes suddenly felt a size too small, and the stitching itched at his skin. “But I don’t really… Date.” He hoped she understood: Platonic intimacy was something that had always come easily to him, but not sexual intimacy.</p><p> </p><p>To his relief, Yachi merely nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“My friends in Brazil tried to… Set me up." He swallowed. “But they sort of accepted that I wasn’t into dating after a while. Volleyball and my career… They almost became an excuse, in a way, if not for a tool for distraction.”</p><p> </p><p>Still nodding, Yachi said; “That’s why I left home, in a way.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata cocked his head. “Because I’m asexual?”</p><p> </p><p>At his outburst, Yachi laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“I had a girlfriend”, she told him. “A few years back. We were quite serious, I suppose. She broke my heart.”</p><p> </p><p>Her mouth twisted momentarily, and then she giggled at the horrified, sympathetic look that Hinata gave her.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright. That was nearly two years ago, now. My mom tried to be supportive, but it hurt.” She hesitated. “I don’t think she really got it. There aren’t really many songs or movies to teach you how to deal with that kind of heartbreak. She was never a very emotional person, either.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your mom?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Yachi didn’t say anything else.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Hinata looked down at his hands for a moment, at the artwork spread across the table beneath them. “So, you came here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wanted to start again.” The red color returned to her face. “It’s cliché, but I wanted to focus on myself. I found a place to live- upstairs- and then the landlord offered me a part-time job in his café downstairs.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at her. “I didn’t realize you lived here, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yes! Just up there.” Yachi jerked a thumb in the direction of the back room, where Hinata assumed there must have been a set of stairs.</p><p> </p><p>He craned his neck, but couldn’t make anything out in the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>“The first year or so, I was so sad on this island, like I had been sad back home”, Yachi said eventually. When Hinata looked at her, he saw that her amber eyes were clear. “But maybe it was time that made things better for me, or maybe it was all of the interesting little things I’ve seen here. All of the people that pass through. It’s been getting better.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think…” Hinata leaned forward to touch his hand to her arm. “That whoever broke up with you was very silly.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi smiled at him, and after a moment he removed his hand to raise his tea and sip at it.</p><p> </p><p>After another moment, she rested her hand back on his other wrist, and this time he didn’t draw away. It felt good, to have found an ally of sorts on the island.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata drank the rest of his tea in silence, watching the rain begin to fall and splatter against the glass windows outside.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry again that these chapters are taking me some time to write. (I do have this all planned out and will get it done, I swear!) These past few months have just been quite busy for me, but hopefully by the end of October once I'm settled back in at university and am no longer working full-time I'll have a little more time to write. (And possibly also to go over and do some proof-reading/editing in this fic and others.)</p><p>Having said that, I am really looking forward to writing the next chapter. While it doesn't advance much in terms of plot, it will explore some of the characters we've already met a little more. In particular, there are three characters in this fic that I feel there are some parallels between (which was unintentional, and I only realized when I was reading over my plans for the upcoming chapters) so I hope that comes across.</p><p>As always, if you have any questions/feedback or just want to chat, please leave a comment :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Kuroo Is Actually Super Smart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adding to Hinata’s misery was the fact that the weather continued to be miserable alongside him. Hunkering down inside the outhouse, Hinata spent the majority of the next few days feeling sorry for himself and video calling Natsu. It reminded him of his first couple of weeks in Brazil: The times spent hiding from a world that was alien to him. Only, this time, the world was all too familiar.</p><p> </p><p>There were some key differences, however: Here, he was not entirely alone. Oikawa and Shigeru had each dropped by to ask him whether he wanted to come to dinner; Hanamaki and Matsukawa had swung by and attempted- unsuccessfully- to fix his door and then told him he would need a new lock entirely; he and Yamaguchi had sat in the courtyard late one night and shared a takeaway pizza; and Kenma had journeyed up to visit him just last night and taken the time, after Hinata informed him over text that he did not feel up to going out, to lug a bag full of video games up the hills. They had eaten cups of microwaved noodles and Hinata had watched as Kenma played, screaming and bouncing up and down whenever an enemy got close. He had screamed even more when Kenma had handed him the controller.</p><p> </p><p>As February drew to a close, Hinata finally pulled himself together enough to visit Yachi at the café for lunch, and the two of them had chatted over the counter as she made mugs of tea and vats of coffee. The scalding hot liquid had whistled cheerily over the tune of her voice.</p><p> </p><p>By the time the two of them decided that they needed to venture out the following day to cheer themselves up, the weather had improved somewhat: It was still cloudy, but the sun’s rays attempted to fan through the clouds, and the temperature had risen.</p><p> </p><p>It was a good day for what they were about to do, Hinata mused, as he and Yachi moved across the shrubbed and sandy hills, watching where the wind had left its mark in the ripples on the dunes. They had met in the very centre of town that morning: Hinata had made his way down on his moped to find Yachi standing under the canopy of a small grocery store, bag looped over one shoulder. They had driven right along the coastline together. Yachi had wanted to see the wildlife sanctuary after hearing what Hinata had told her about it, and Hinata was all too happy to return to see the turtles.</p><p> </p><p>His only chagrin was that Kenma was unable to join them.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got meetings tomorrow”, Kenma had mumbled around a mouthful of noodles, eyes still fixated on the screen in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“What kind of meetings?”, Hinata asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he remembered some of the others' speculations about the businessman.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma simply shrugged. “Meetings.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had not asked again.</p><p> </p><p>The hut that signified the entrance to the park loomed on the horizon, and Hinata walked closer to Yachi as they approached, letting their arms link unconsciously.</p><p> </p><p>Leaning out of the window was a girl who seemed oddly familiar: She had long, dyed red hair, a round face and a pleasant smile. A short man with cropped hair was also huddled inside the hut, along with a far taller man with dark hair and a huge frame. With the three of them in there, Hinata was surprised that they had room to breathe.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, the girl with the dark red hair called out to them. “Are you here for a tour today?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, he responded when they got close enough to be heard, and shuffled his feet as three pairs of eyes focused in on him. “Is Bokuto here?”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you looking for Bokuto for?”, the shorter man asked, eyeing them suspiciously. In the background, the other man also shuffled forward slightly. His thick dark hair stuck straight up on his head, although it was not as long as Bokuto’s and therefore did not seem so odd. The lack of grey streaks was probably another reason it looked more normal, Hinata figured.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata explained; “He was meant to be giving us a tour.”</p><p> </p><p>He had managed to briefly catch Bokuto the previous evening, as he passed through the villa on the way to the bar with Kuroo, Yaku, and the other bartender; Kai, as he had introduced himself. The ranger had been all too happy to hear that Hinata wanted to return to the park.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” The taller man shook his head. “Well, he’s not here just yet.”</p><p> </p><p>The woman rolled her eyes. “Late as usual.”</p><p> </p><p>She put something into her mouth from her pocket and crunched down on it.</p><p> </p><p>The shorter man raised his eyebrows under his mop of brown hair. “Can I have a candy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Buy your own.”</p><p> </p><p>The sound of yelling had them all spinning to find its source.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Here he comes now.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto was flying across the sand towards them, feet pounding rhythmically. Hinata couldn’t help but wonder if he was also an athlete; he had the fitness for it, certainly.</p><p> </p><p>The man with black hair folded his arms and rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I’m late!” Bokuto rested his hands on his knees and leant over, panting.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Two men appeared around the side of the hut, one of whom Hinata remembered from before. He had been there when Hinata first met Bokuto. The other man was a stranger; he had a tiny smile on his face, and masses of wild black hair that seemed to collect on his head. Hinata wondered momentarily whether strange hairstyles were a prerequisite for working there.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, he says”, the man with the puffy hair said, and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto, how do you always get the forgiving customers?”, the other one asked with a sigh. He paused, before squinting at Hinata from under his light brown bangs. “Hey, weren’t you here before?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata grinned. “Yep!”</p><p> </p><p>“This is my new friend, Hinata”, Bokuto announced. “He lives here now.” He wheeled about to raise his arched eyebrows at Yachi, who jumped back with a squeak, standing half-behind Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“This is my friend, Yachi Hitoka”, he explained. “She works at the café in town.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh! The one by the docks?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the one.”</p><p> </p><p>“We used to sit out there when we waited for the boat over to the mainland for school.” Bokuto’s smile softened as he glanced over at some of the other rangers, although it was impossible to tell which of them he was referring to. “That was a long time ago, though. Probably before you got there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Yes. Probably.” Yachi nodded, then blushed. “Sorry- I didn’t mean-”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto just put his hands on his hips, tilted his head back and laughed hysterically.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi shot Hinata an even more panicked look. Over her shoulder, Hinata could see the other park rangers exchanging glances.</p><p> </p><p>Once he had calmed down, Bokuto said; “Let’s get going.”</p><p> </p><p>He marched away, pivoted, cupped his hands over his mouth, and cried; “See you guys later!”</p><p> </p><p>The man with the light brown hair stuck his middle finger up at them, and the woman in the hut leaned right out of the window to grab his arm and wrench it back down.</p><p> </p><p>Struggling to catch up, Hinata cursed how his muscles seemed to ache after just a few lazy days. At least he was not the only one affected; Yachi panted by his side as they half-jogged along.</p><p> </p><p>“You seem… Perky for this early”, he noted. “I thought you were working last night?” It was only the night before that he had waved out of the outhouse window to Bokuto as he passed on his way up to the bar; Kenma had hidden inside while the two of them talked.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto laughed. “Oh, I’m always on the go. You should see Kuroo. He’ll be at the bar all night, and then go and do his science stuff at the lab.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lab?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah. Kuroo is actually super smart, he just bartends for the money. Him and Yaku. They both work in a lab.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh.” Hinata wiped at his forehead and peered ahead of them: They were headed towards where the turtles were if he remembered correctly. That was good. “Does it really pay that well up there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s more tips than anything.” Bokuto rubbed the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. “Hey, if you’re looking for something to do, Hinata, you should join us. You’d have fun.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata waved one hand. “I’m okay, thank you. Enjoying retirement.”</p><p> </p><p>They wandered across the windswept hills and down onto the beach. Predictably, Yachi cooed over all of the small turtles. Hinata couldn’t help laughing and joining in when Bokuto cooed along with her. The three of them picked their way carefully around the edges of the beach, avoiding the nests, to perch by the water’s edge, where Yachi produced a notebook and began to sketch the wildlife.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been getting worse lately”, Bokuto informed them, as he cut free a turtle that Yachi had spotted caught in a plastic net. “It’s just a good thing we got here in time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why is it getting worse?”, asked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto blew air out of the side of his mouth. “Tourists, industrial companies. I don’t know. It’s hard, though. That’s why they need us out here.” He shrugged. “Come on, let’s keep moving. Say, what happened to those guys you brought up there?”, he continued, undeterred. “Man, they were funny. That Kamasaki guy- I want to know his workout routine.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m pretty sure he’s a labourer in a factory, back on the mainland.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh.” Bokuto’s eyes went wide.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi cut in; “I think you should stay here, Bokuto.” She looked concerned, dazed by the whole discussion and more than a little out of breath.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I like it here.” Bokuto shrugged. With that, the conversation seemed to come to an end. </p><p> </p><p>They walked in comfortable silence for a minute, parallel to the shore. The ground beneath them grew less firm with each step, the damp sand shifting beneath their weight, and the feeling was immensely comforting.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, they reached the grassy knoll that overlooked the beach, and the three of them sat down, Yachi once more taking out her sketchbook.</p><p> </p><p>“They went back to the mainland”, Hinata said eventually, remembering that he hadn’t really answered Bokuto’s original question. “Those guys.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?”, Bokuto hummed.</p><p> </p><p>“Futakuchi is getting married. They went back for the wedding.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Hm. Good luck to him. They seemed nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“They were.” Hinata caught Yachi’s eye and took a deep breath. “There was one guy, in particular.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto stared at him, and Hinata worried for a moment that he had misspoken. Only Bokuto swiftly waggled his eyebrows, and Hinata found himself blushing. “Ohoh?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. We got along, but- I don’t know”, he blustered in an attempt to explain what he meant. “We didn’t really swap details or anything. Or talk, really. I just thought he seemed… Nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Bokuto nodded wisely. “A lot of the people who come here are. Others not so much.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s going to be more people coming at some point. I’ll get over it.” Not that there was really anything to get over.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi tilted her head, her ponytail blowing over one shoulder with the combination of her movement and a slight breeze. “You’re going to keep helping Oikawa out?”</p><p> </p><p>He shrugged. “I might as well.” Remembering some of the conversations he had with Yamaguchi when he had first arrived, he questioned; “Hey, do you know anywhere else I could show them? What are your favorite places on the island?”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto eyed him. “Well, I have a lot of favorite places.”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you been here a very long time, then?”, Hinata asked, and Bokuto chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>“Most of my life, now.” He paused momentarily, as though deciding a back and forth argument in his head. “I know where to take you. There’s somewhere that I’ve not shown to many people, just Kuroo and some of the other guys out here that I’m close to, Konoha and Yukie, all that lot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Where?”, Yachi asked, curiously as they followed him in rounding the cliffside.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just somewhere I hang out when I’m feeling down.”</p><p> </p><p>They walked back to the shoreline and followed it along until it rose up and turned into a small cliff. Bokuto led them around the side of the cliff, along a slippery trail that almost looked as though it would descend straight into the sea, to find, embedded in the rocks and hidden from anybody standing above, a small cove. Its open mouth roared with the echo of the tides.</p><p> </p><p>Stepping confidently inside, Bokuto spread his arms wide, stretching so that his fingertips seemed almost to graze the roof of the gaping cavern.</p><p> </p><p>He announced; “Welcome to the heart of the island!”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi and Hinata stepped in after him, carefully so as not to slip, and then stared about in silence. It was cold inside, but the air was stale rather than crisp or refreshing.</p><p> </p><p>Small pools of water collected about the uneven surface. The cave did not seem particularly pleasant, or even safe.</p><p> </p><p>A small stream trickling overhead dripped on into the quiet.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, Bokuto”, Yachi said eventually, “but how can it be the heart when it’s right on the edge of the island?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered. “She has a point.”</p><p> </p><p>“And it’s away from everywhere else?”, she continued timidly.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto waved his arms. “You guys just aren’t getting it! You need to listen!”</p><p> </p><p>They fell silent once more. All Hinata could hear was the bellow of water churning in the cave.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto’s wide golden eyes fell on him. “You aren’t getting it still?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a nice cave, Bokuto”, Hinata told him, but that only seemed to cause Bokuto to deflate even more.</p><p> </p><p>He put his head in his hands, despairing.</p><p> </p><p>Quickly, Hinata asked; “Yachi, what was your favorite place? You had somewhere too, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” She was still staring at Bokuto, her face pale and panicked. As though she had not heard Hinata’s question, she asked; “Bokuto, are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto shook his head, took a deep breath, and then looked back up with a grin. “I’m fine.” He chuckled. “It’s fine. You guys just don’t appreciate the wonder of this place. Let’s go find Yachi’s.”</p><p> </p><p>His tone and his eyes had an almost cartoonishly evil tinge to them, and Hinata found himself hoping that Bokuto would not turn it into a competition.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose my favorite place would be back by the docks”, Yachi said slowly, turning back to Hinata. “At the beach there.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto bounded back over to them, skidding a little on the smooth wet floor, and came to a halt behind Yachi, his regular grin back in place. “Let’s get ice cream when we’re there! My treat!”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi peered back at him, face still uncertain. “If you’re sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“Absolutely!” He pumped one fist in the air, and Hinata and Yachi shared a bemused glance.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright then”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Won’t the other rangers care if you leave, though?”, Yachi asked as they picked their way out of the cave.</p><p> </p><p>Ahead of them, Bokuto’s wide shoulders shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, you know what? I might change my mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi backed away from the door of the ice cream parlour as she spoke, laughing nervously.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto glanced down at her, brow furrowed. “What’s wrong, Yachi?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s nothing”, Yachi said, waving her hands in front of her as she backed away. “You guys get your ice creams!”</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you want to come in?”, asked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Leaning in, Yachi whispered to him; “Some really scary-looking guys work at this place. I think it might be a front for something.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked at the pastel pink and yellow décor all around the interior and had his doubts.</p><p> </p><p>But Yachi still looked scared, so he whispered back; “But we’re with Bokuto. We’ll be fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Together the two of them looked at Bokuto, who was obliviously gazing in the windows at the ice cream.</p><p> </p><p>"And you're with me, too", he reminded her. She stared back at him for a moment, and then the two of them simultaneously found their faces breaking into amused smiles.</p><p> </p><p>“… Okay.” Yachi nodded. "But if I get murdered it's on you."</p><p> </p><p>They went inside, and Hinata stared at the ice creams behind the glass counter. A vast range of colors was dotted along the chrome shelf. There were all different flavours, some he had never even considered before.  After an internal moment of deliberation, he decided to go safe with chocolate.</p><p> </p><p>When he looked up, Bokuto was already rattling off his own order to the cashier. Hinata let his gaze travel along the counter, over all of the ice cream tubs, and then he made the mistake of looking up at the workers behind the bar.</p><p> </p><p>He gulped.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi was right.</p><p> </p><p>All along the bar, behind the tubs piled high with dairy goodness, were some of the scariest, hard-lined faces that Hinata had ever seen. And they were all decked out in the classical stripy uniforms that matched the store’s logo, complete with a small white hat comically balanced on each of their heads.</p><p> </p><p>He felt his palms beginning to sweat.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, what was it you wanted?”, Bokuto asked, and Hinata turned forward to see that Bokuto and Yachi were staring at him; Bokuto expectantly, Yachi anxiously.</p><p> </p><p>A man behind the counter was also staring at him, and Hinata blinked as he took the man in.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t like the others there. Although this man wore the same blue and white pinstriped shirt, his round face was almost childish, as was the smile on his face. He had a long neck and black hair that was spiked at the front, almost in the same manner as Koganegawa’s had been. Hinata briefly wondered whether that was some trend he had missed.</p><p> </p><p>Realizing they were still awaiting his response, Hinata said; “Chocolate, please.”</p><p> </p><p>“Coming right up!”, the man announced cheerily, ringing up the order and then turning to the display counter.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could not help looking from this man to the others loitering about, and then back again. How had he survived in a place like this?</p><p> </p><p>Adding to the confusion was the glimpse that Hinata caught of his name tag: It announced that his name was Akimiya, and that he was the manager of the ice cream parlor.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata?”, Yachi asked, and Hinata again jolted out of his thoughts, faced with an ice cream cone being held in his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” He took the cone and gave it an experimental lick. It was good. Rich. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Dipping his head, he turned to follow Bokuto and Yachi towards the exit, only to collide with a solid wall: Thankfully, with the arm not holding his ice cream.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata froze. The wall was striped, blue and white.</p><p> </p><p>Craning his neck upward, Hinata found himself locking eyes with perhaps the most terrifying man in the building. With his combed, chin-length black hair and chiselled features, he looked like a stereotypical criminal. He had a mop in his hands, and Hinata thought that he probably was not afraid to use it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, watch where you’re going”, the man grunted.</p><p> </p><p>“S- Sorry”, Hinata stuttered out, his breath hitching in his chest.</p><p> </p><p>The man narrowed his eyes. Definitely the most terrifying man in the building, Hinata corrected himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Towada!”, a voice called from behind Hinata, and he pivoted to spot the man who had served them- Akimiya, the manager- frowning as he stared at the potential crime scene before him.</p><p> </p><p>The angry man had also turned to stare, and so Hinata took the opportunity to skitter around him, still clutching carefully onto his ice cream, and outside of the store after Yachi and Bokuto.</p><p> </p><p>Back outside, Hinata took a moment to rock onto the balls of his feet and slurp down some of the ice cream. It had grown even warmer outside with the arrival of midday and the shrieks of children rose up from slightly further along the beach, which was busier than Hinata had ever seen it previously.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi led them along the promenade to the row of benches, close to the area where Hinata had parked the van a couple of times while visiting.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, here we are”, she announced, gesturing with the hand not holding her strawberry ice cream. Her bracelet rattled and glinted.</p><p> </p><p>“Where?”, Bokuto asked, squinting at her. He had also gone for chocolate but had picked a fruit flavor to go underneath it, which Hinata thought was probably going to be a mistake once he made it that far.</p><p> </p><p>“Here.” Yachi smiled. “I know it’s silly, but this is my favourite spot. This bench”, she clarified to Bokuto, who still looked bewildered. “I like to come here and watch people when it’s sunny. I imagine their lives. Sometimes I draw. When it’s too rainy I sit in the café and watch the clouds rolling by and the waves all crashing until there are too many droplets on the windows and I can’t see outside anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought of the other day, when he found her drawing inside the café.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi took a seat on the bench, and Hinata and Bokuto plopped down on either side of her.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds fun”, Bokuto remarked, after a moment in which they each continued to lick at their ice creams. Hinata was nearly at his cone already.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm?” Yachi glanced around. “It’s okay. I don’t know what it says about me that I like to watch people, except that I don’t really have any friends here.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto laughed, and Hinata noticed Yachi sitting up slightly straighter, her shoulders held back in a more confident position.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s do it now!”, he enthused.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Yachi grinned at him, then surveyed the beach for several seconds. “See that guy over there?”</p><p> </p><p>He followed her gaze to where he thought she was looking.</p><p> </p><p>“The one playing tennis?”, Hinata checked.</p><p> </p><p>“I see him all the time. He flirts with everyone here.”</p><p> </p><p>He squinted. The man had a charming grin and charisma that Hinata could feel even all the way over at the bench. Hinata watched as he shook his opponent’s hand. Aside from the blond locks, he sort of reminded Hinata of…</p><p> </p><p>“He reminds me a bit of Oikawa.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi snorted at that, while Bokuto laughed and laughed. Hinata frowned at him. He hadn’t known that Bokuto even knew who Oikawa was, but he supposed it made sense given that Bokuto worked up by the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Something else caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, look at that guy!”, he yelped, almost losing the remainder of his ice cream as he strained to stare at the man walking along the promenade, some distance from them. In spite of how far he was, Hinata did not feel the need to point him out; he wasn’t exactly hard to spot.</p><p> </p><p>“Which one?”, Yachi checked, still scanning the beach.</p><p> </p><p>“The one on the promenade”, Hinata hissed back at her. “The insanely tall one!”</p><p> </p><p>‘Tall’ was probably an understatement. The man dwarfed all those around him. Hinata had rarely even played with guys that tall before.</p><p> </p><p>“With the guy with the glasses?”, Bokuto asked, and then gaped. “Yeah, I see him!”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah. He is tall.” Hinata felt Yachi shudder slightly at his side.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata twisted back on the bench to face forward. “What do you think <em>he </em>does?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh! A basketball player!”, Bokuto said, so loudly that Hinata swivelled again to check nobody was looking at them.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t it basketball season now, though?”, he asked as he turned back.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi suggested; “Well, maybe he got suspended?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned. “What for?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fighting a teammate?”, Bokuto suggested, at the same time as Yachi replied; “Illegal gambling?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, yeah! And that guy there is his shady partner in crime.”</p><p> </p><p>He grinned, and Yachi and Bokuto’s faces reflected the same amused expression back at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, what do you think you guys would make of me?”, Yachi wondered aloud. “If we didn’t know each other."</p><p> </p><p>The two men stared at her for a moment, thoughtful.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.” Bokuto squinted and rubbed his chin. “Small.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh? Is that all?”, Yachi asked, but she was smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d think you were an artist”, said Hinata. “You always wear arty clothes when you’re not working.” He indicated her dungarees and multi-colored t-shirt, and she guffawed.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re only saying that because you know me. If I didn’t know you guys, I’d probably think Bokuto was the former athlete and Hinata was the park ranger.”</p><p> </p><p>Cackling, Bokuto struck a pose, flexing the bicep in the arm that was not holding his rapidly diminishing ice cream.</p><p> </p><p>“Me as a park ranger?”, Hinata queried, eyebrows raised. “Why?”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi took a bite out of her cone before answering. “You look friendly and caring. I think you’d be good at that kind of thing.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought. “I’d probably think Bokuto was a madman.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” He glared at Hinata as he licked at his cone, which seemed an oddly childish image, only to the frown and groan. “Ew, mango.”</p><p> </p><p>Nudging Hinata, Yachi asked; “What about you? What’s your favourite place? So far, I mean.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked up at the sky, unsure. He had really only seen a quarter or so of the island, but there was not a lot that had stayed with him, beyond the general vibe of the life there.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, he answered; “Well, I like the villa.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata cried; “Yachi! Look out!”</p><p> </p><p>Yelping, Yachi teetered on the very verge of the skylight, and Hinata swiftly leaned over to grab her arm. Clutching onto his fingers, she attempted to steady herself.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto’s head popped up from the hole behind her, and he held his hands out, prepared to propel her forwards if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, Yachi managed to find her balance. She moved forward to sit beside Hinata on the edge of the outhouse roof.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them had climbed up the dark passageway using just the torches on their phones, and then to one cluttered corner in the attic where a ladder led up to a trapdoor, previously almost completely concealed, in the roof.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata let his legs swing over the edge, dangling in the air, and Yachi scooted forward minutely until she could do the same. The sea stretched, impossibly large, before them. Hinata once again thought of boats out on the waves. He found himself scanning the horizon for one.</p><p> </p><p>His concentration was broken at the sound of crashing, accompanied by Bokuto’s yelps; a foreboding combination.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaped to his feet, almost toppling over the edge of the roof in the process. The only thing that saved him were his calf muscles, and he silently thanked them as he skittered over the tiles to find Bokuto half-hanging upside down in the hole where part of the roof had given way. His legs were the only things keeping him from dropping to the floor below: They were caught on the edges of the tiles. One arm was slapping frantically at a part of the structure sticking out from the side.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi followed behind him and she and Hinata each leant down a hand, almost tearing at Bokuto’s uniform as they scrabbled to pull him upright.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the entire process, Bokuto screamed at the top of his lungs; “Help! Help!”</p><p> </p><p>When his flailing arm nearly caught her in the eye, Yachi yelled; “Bokuto! Stop shouting and help <em>us</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>With one last heave, and Bokuto rocking his weight forward, they were able to lift him to the slightly more solid surface of the roof, where he collapsed on his back, panting, and rested one arm across his eyes. Immediately, Yachi and Hinata dropped down beside him. Hinata felt as though a sudden wave of vertigo had hit him, and he attempted to swallow down his frantically beating heart.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata?”, a voice from far below called clearly.</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing, Hinata inched forward until he could peer over the edge of the outhouse roof, one hand still gripping at the hem of Bokuto's shirt. “Oikawa?”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa frowned up at him. “What’s going on?” He wrinkled his nose. “What are you even doing up there?”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto shuffled forward on his belly so that he too could see over the edge.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Oikawa”, he said. He waved one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto?” Oikawa’s eyes widened and then immediately narrowed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuffled over so he could whisper to Bokuto; “Do you know Oikawa?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah”, Bokuto whispered back.</p><p> </p><p>"Is he mad at you for something?" It sure looked that way, from the crease between Oikawa's eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah."</p><p> </p><p>Down below, Oikawa tapped one foot. “I thought I banned you from coming here. I don’t want the health inspectors out here because of you, again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, Oikawa. I forgot you’re still mad at me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked between the two of them, bewildered by the exchange.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto hangs out at the bar a lot”, Oikawa began. “He-”</p><p> </p><p>“I work there now, too!”, Bokuto interrupted. “Kuroo got me a job.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa grit his teeth. Hinata thought if he was any closer he probably would have heard it. “That figures. Just get down from there, please, and then you can talk. Carefully.”</p><p> </p><p>One by one, the three of them ducked through the skylight and into the attic. Hinata coughed as they kicked up dust around them.</p><p> </p><p>As they made their way down to the first floor, feeling their way down the passage, Bokuto explained; “One night I was up at the villa with Kuroo, and we saw this own on the roof. We kept seeing it, and it was obviously injured, so I climbed up to get it. But er, I apparently scared some of the guests. I think they weren’t expecting to see a guy hanging outside their window.” He laughed a full-bodied laugh that echoed eerily through the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>“If you could just catch the goat that stole my sandal, that would be great”, Hinata muttered, blinking as they emerged into the light.</p><p> </p><p>“Owls? Goats?” Yachi glanced nervously about the room, as though a wild animal was about to spring from a corner and murder her.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was waiting by the door with his hands on his hips. When the emerged, he shook his head. “Really, what were you doing up there?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Bokuto exchanged guilty glances.</p><p> </p><p>Staring resolutely at her feet, Yachi explained, her voice barely rising above a murmur; “Mr Oikawa, I’m Yachi. I’m Hinata’s friend. We were just talking about our favourite places on the island. We decided to visit each of ours’. Hinata and I wanted… To cheer ourselves up a little.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata caught the moment Oikawa’s eyes lit up: They glanced over to him, and then back to Yachi, and then over her shoulder at the outhouse, before sparking to life and pinwheeling back to Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, that sounds like fun.” He grinned. “Do you want to see mine?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure!”, Hinata replied.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa made as though to walk away, an almost dorky smile on his face; Hinata thought he seemed as though he was genuinely enjoying this. After a moment he paused and turned back, arms mid-swing. “Bokuto-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay.” Bokuto grinned. “I’ll wait here.” He patted the wall of the outhouse, where he was leaning.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa looked for a moment as though he might argue, his mouth hanging open. then he closed it and nodded, before smiling at Hinata and Yachi.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on then.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Yachi followed Oikawa as they made their way up the steps of the rocky outcrop where the outhouse sat and around the back of the villa. Glancing back over his shoulder, Hinata saw that Bokuto was rocking on his heels down below, whistling tunelessly.</p><p> </p><p>He exchanged a curious glance with Yachi as they passed by the small cottage around the back.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, I don’t know if you’ve ever been here before, but this is mine and Shigeru’s place. We stay separate from the main hotel.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded, and they continued on.</p><p> </p><p>The undergrowth closed around them and the leaves on the trees are thick as a blanket overhead. Hinata actually had to be careful not trip over the weeds tangling about his feet.</p><p> </p><p>The sunlight grew weaker, the air more clammy, as they went deeper into the trees. Still, Oikawa strode ahead with confidence, his broad body cutting a path through the forest for Hinata and Yachi to follow.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, they emerged into a small clearing. The ground was so damp it had grown amber-green with moss. Across the clearing was a run-down stone building, half-covered with plants. Just across the other side of the clearing, he could see another, larger building past some saplings.</p><p> </p><p>The whole scene was akin to a fairy-tale: Old stone cottages standing out in the woods, discovered by explorers. Only it was a fairy-tale gone wrong; these buildings had clearly been neglected, and now stood desolate and empty. Something clicked into place in Hinata’s brain as they picked through the shrubbery.</p><p> </p><p>“I think I found this place before”, he admitted. “When I was lost in the woods one time. I almost thought I was hallucinating it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is this part of the villa?” Yachi frowned and peered into a window, cracked and yellowed with age.</p><p> </p><p>“Technically it still is”, Oikawa answered. “But it was abandoned after the last earthquake by the previous owner, and I’ve been so busy with repairs to the main buildings and other things that we haven’t had the time or money to sort these out. Nobody really comes here anymore, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata peered through an open doorway of the nearest building. There was a shelf of some sort that had fallen forward over a bed, and vines had crept in. As he got closer, a musty smell permeated the air, overtaking the fresh leafy ozone of the woods. The entire place seemed to have been frozen in time, he would estimate for at least a decade, given the amount of dust there.</p><p> </p><p>He turned back to Oikawa, who had remained standing in the center of the clearing, his thumbs tucked in the beltloops of his pants.</p><p> </p><p>Meeting Hinata’s eyes, Oikawa continued; “I used to love it here when I first came to the island.” He indicated the room that Hinata had just been looking at. “Shigeru used to play in that small one when he was little. It was nearly always empty because the electricity didn’t always work properly. The couple that used to own the villa lived in that one through the trees there.” He nodded to his left, and Hinata could see it if he squinted: It did not seem much bigger than the one he was standing by. “And that big one was a hostel-style room, with a lot of beds.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi had already made her way over to it, so Hinata picked his way through the foliage to join her.</p><p> </p><p>“A hostel?”, she murmured, frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it wasn’t really a hostel. We used to have different groups, sports teams and work colleagues who would come to do water sports and team bonding activities. They would all lodge here together. We still have a few groups come out occasionally, but they don’t do that so much; now they mostly go into town. I think there are a lot of places that advertise snorkelling and that sort of thing, but we don’t run those activities up here now.”</p><p> </p><p>While Oikawa continued talking, Hinata and Yachi stared in through the windows. The building appeared to be all one long room. Half a dozen wooden bunk beds stood in a row against one wall. The wood looked to be rotting, and the walls were cracked. Oikawa was right; this place would need a lot of work if they were ever to use it again.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa himself seemed lost in his own world, though, as he turned about the clearing. Hinata found himself biting back the questions on his tongue, not wanting to interrupt Oikawa’s memories.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m the only one who comes here sometimes, so far as I know”, the owner of the villa said, with a shrug and a sigh. “Although I imagine sooner or later one of those guys working at the bar is going to find them and turn them into a den or trash the place or something. Probably Tendou, although I wouldn’t put it past that new kid with the bowl-cut.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned back to Hinata and Yachi, smiling pleasantly. “So, where did you two pick?”</p><p> </p><p>“J- Just a bench”, Yachi stammered. “I like to watch people there.” At Oikawa’s raised eyebrows, she whispered; “I’m not a stalker, I swear.”</p><p> </p><p>Having realized what she had just said, she clapped a hand to her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa simply looked at Hinata. He didn't look impressed, Hinata thought, and he winced out of sympathy for Yachi at her apparent dismissal. </p><p> </p><p>“I said the outhouse”, Hinata admitted under Oikawa’s unrelenting stare. “We tried climbing up on the roof. That’s where you found us." He bit his lip. "Bokuto nearly fell.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa snorted. It took him a split second to regain his composure. “Nice choice. I’m honoured that you like it. You know, when I used to live there, we always used to go up on the roof to watch the stars.” He smiled a sly smile. “Of course, the roof was far sturdier back then.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi asked; “You lived there, too?”</p><p> </p><p>“When I first came here”, Oikawa elaborated. He sighed and rested his hands on the small of his back, stretching slightly as he gazed about into the dark of the woods. “Sometimes I forget how much I love it here. And then I see people arriving for the first time and finding all of these places, and it reminds me.”</p><p> </p><p>Why did Oikawa come here, Hinata wondered as he spoke, of all the places in the world? And why had he stayed?</p><p> </p><p>He opened his mouth to ask.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, we'd better head back, hadn't we?" Oikawa beamed cheerily about at them, clapping his hands together. "I've got chores to do and people to entertain."</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bit back his question. It wasn't like either of them were going anywhere: There would surely be another time to ask, and not in the middle of the forest.</p><p> </p><p>After they had made their way back out of the forest and Oikawa had departed to return to the villa, they found Bokuto admiring Hinata’s moped, which now sat in one of the sheds. Hanamaki or Matsukawa must have left the door open. Hinata told him he could borrow it, as long as he used it to also drop Yachi back home since he could not summon the energy to walk back into town with them.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto agreed, promising to bring the moped back the next time he was there, and then the two of them headed off together. Hinata watched them go. He wondered why it was that he trusted Bokuto. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. The man seemed so genuine and friendly. He thought he was beginning to understand that a lot of people on the island were.</p><p> </p><p>His brain felt sluggish with thoughts, yet he also felt more content perhaps than he had since he had arrived there. As he drifted off to sleep, thoughts of ice cream gang members and turtles and giant men and gaping caves and empty cottages all swirled together in his mind, and when he awoke he found that he no longer felt tired.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case there's any confusion, the super tall guy was Hyakuzawa, and the tennis player is Oujiyama, who appears briefly in the manga. I wanted to include as many characters as possible but these are two guys who I haven't managed to find a place for so far: Pretty much everybody else will show up at some point. If I can think of somewhere, they may appear again at some point with actual dialogue, who knows?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Bokuto Is A Sore Loser</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was written late at night and I don't really do proof-reading so if there are any errors, from the bottom of my heart; my bad.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, as Hinata approached the café, he was hoping that he would catch Kenma having his breakfast. That was the time that he tended to come every day, Yachi had told him previously, and so he felt that might be his best chance of success.</p><p> </p><p>He was in luck: Kenma was hunched over his laptop in the corner when he walked in. As he approached, Kenma glanced toward him once, smiled, and then stared back down at whatever he was doing.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata moved around so that he could see over Kenma’s shoulder, wondering whether he was working on his spreadsheets again. Kenma had never minded him looking before, after all; the numbers meant very little to Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, he was startled to see a nervous-looking man with dark hair and a pinched, worried face filling the screen. Kenma was on a video call.</p><p> </p><p>The man jumped when Hinata appeared behind Kenma, and Hinata hurriedly stepped back out of the frame.</p><p> </p><p>“Shibayama, I’ll speak to you later”, Kenma murmured, and he glanced behind himself at Hinata before ending the call and taking his earbuds out. “Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi.” Hinata rubbed at the back of his head. “Sorry, was that call important?”</p><p> </p><p>“That was my assistant.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is everything okay?” Kenma raised his eyebrows at Hinata, and Hinata jumped.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Hinata could see the mild concern in his face. “I’m okay, yes”, he reassured. “I was hoping to find you, actually.”</p><p> </p><p><em>You seem to disappear and reappear at random, like a stray cat,</em> he thought but did not say.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma stretched his arms out in front of him, and then closed his laptop as he brought them back in towards his body. “How come?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re leaving soon, right?” Hinata tilted his head. “I wanted to swap details with you, so we can stay in contact. I didn’t know if I would run into you again before you left.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not for another week or so. But that would be nice.” Kenma smiled up at him; not a lazy, penetrating smile as was usual, but a tiny grin that lit up his eyes. “You really are an interesting guy, Shouyou. I’d like to stay in touch. And, who knows, I might be back in the area at some point.”</p><p> </p><p>He proceeded to rattle his number off to Hinata, and Hinata jumped to program it into his phone.</p><p> </p><p>“You can follow me on Twitter if you want, as well”, Kenma continued. “I’m on there a lot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Hinata wondered whether Kenma already knew that he had Twitter, and how; the way he had spoken was as though he was under the assumption that Hinata did. Had he looked him up, maybe? “What’s your account?”</p><p> </p><p>“Kodzuken.”</p><p> </p><p>When he saw Kenma’s account, Hinata’s mouth dropped open. He had over half a million followers.</p><p> </p><p>“Kenma”, he began, swallowing. His eyes felt wide as dinner plates. “How-”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata!”, Yachi’s yell interrupted him, and he swiveled to spot her walking across the café, toward the door. She was not wearing her uniform today; instead, she wore a pale pink dress.</p><p> </p><p>“Yachi!”, he called back, waving.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just going out to get some shopping, sorry, or I’d join you.” She made a face.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata waved again. “See you later!”</p><p> </p><p>“Bye!”, she shouted as she went out the door. “Bye, Kenma.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned back to Kenma, just in time to see him lowering the hand that was raised in farewell.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma blinked back up at him. “Did you want anything to eat?” He indicated the empty seat beside him.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Hinata slid into it.</p><p> </p><p>They placed their order with the other, less friendly waitress, who listened to them with a face like stone as they reeled off what they wanted. Hinata requested a toasted sandwich, whereas Kenma asked for a bowl of soup.</p><p> </p><p>The food came swiftly. When it was on the table in front of them, Kenma shuffled his laptop back away from the soup, and opened it again, changing tabs to a compilation of animal videos.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was surprised when Kenma openly snickered at some of the creatures’ antics.</p><p> </p><p>“You know”, he began, “I’ve become friends with one of the park rangers who works at one of the wildlife parks here.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “Bokuto. I think you would get along well. You know, you both like animals and…” Unable to think of anything else, he trailed off and disguised it with another bite of the sandwich. “Maybe we could visit before you go; you wanted to go there, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wasn’t that the guy up at your place the other night?” Kenma wrinkled his nose, not looking away from where a cat was scrabbling to stay on a tabletop on the screen.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata deflated a little. “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know. You know, I’m not actually into… Nature and wildlife that much.” Seeing Hinata’s surprised look, he continued; “I think some animals are cute, but with all of the travelling I do, I don’t have time for a pet. I always sort of wanted a cat, but.” He shrugged, his thin shoulders rising and dropping once under his thick dark hoodie.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Could your assistant not maybe look after them for you?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s allergic.”</p><p> </p><p>Something else occurred to Hinata. “How come you wanted to go to the wildlife park with me, then?”</p><p> </p><p>“Because I thought you liked that kind of thing”, Kenma laughed again. He had a pleasant laugh, the kind that Hinata felt was even more pleasant for its rarity. “And it is my job right now to research the land available on this island, although a wildlife park may be off-limits.” He looked down at his soup and slowly took a sip. “I do admire the people like Bokuto who are working to help the environment. I know how passionate some of them are.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered that as he finished his sandwich, turning Kenma’s words over in his mind while he chewed.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you thought any more about leaving?”, Kenma asked, once he had drained the last of his soup.</p><p> </p><p>“I have.” Hinata hesitated, thinking of the dark depressive period he had gone through only recently, and then of how he had begun to feel slightly better over the last few days. “I’m really enjoying myself here, so I might stick around for a little while. But I know I can’t stay forever.”</p><p> </p><p>His friend flicked his hair out of his eyes. “Well, if you do head back to the mainland and need something to do, I’m sure I could find something for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, Kenma, really, I’m okay. But thank you.” Smiling, Hinata inclined his head to Kenma, before standing and pushing away from the table. “Thank you for the food, too. I’ll let you get on with your work. Ah- and please apologize to your assistant for me.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>He had only just gotten back to the outhouse, after a long walk that made him regret loaning his moped out to Bokuto, when someone knocked at his door. Following just a moment’s pause, the door swung open, and Shigeru peered inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, Hinata said, getting to his feet to greet his guest. He paused when he stood before Shigeru in the doorway.</p><p> </p><p>He was not alone.</p><p> </p><p>Two men, each around the same age as Shigeru, were hovering awkwardly behind him. Hinata vaguely recognized the taller of the two, although he did not know where from. After a moment, he placed him as the man with the spiky black hair that he had seen at the bar previously, when he went with Futakuchi and the others. The other was a stranger, though. He had a curtain of dark hair that swept over to one side, and a jacket that seemed far too big for him: His arms had disappeared inside the deep pockets and his chin was tucked behind the high collar.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Hinata, guys”, Shigeru said with a smile. “Hinata, these are Kentarou’s friends from the mainland, Kunimi Akira and Kindaichi Yuutarou.”</p><p> </p><p>They each nodded at him, with not enough time between their nods for him to definitively work out which one was which.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru, we’re going to go get food”, the boy with the large jacket- Kunimi, Hinata thought, from the way the other had jumped slightly when Shigeru said ‘Kindaichi’- muttered.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. See you later, then.” Shigeru didn’t seem too upset at them leaving, and he turned swiftly back to Hinata once he had closed the door behind them with an exaggerated sagging of his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>“I actually forgot Kyoutani was back”, remarked Hinata. “I haven’t seen him for days. Is that where he’s been?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Yuutarou is like some distant cousin of his. He’s just finished university. Akira is his friend. No idea why he came, too, he doesn’t even seem interested, all he does is sleep and complain about not getting enough sleep. They keep following Kentarou around like lost puppies, so I said I’d show them some more of the villa today.”</p><p> </p><p>A laugh bubbled at Hinata’s lips as Shigeru continued.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re both nice guys, and we get along well, but… Can I hide out here with you for a little while?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled. “Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was actually meaning to come back here.” Shigeru toed at the rug on the floor with his shoe as he worked it off. “I saw your awards the other day. Can I look at them?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” He led Shigeru over to the small table by the couch, and explained; “These medals are all from local tournaments in Rio.”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah.” Shigeru blew air from the side of his mouth and put his hands on his hips. “You have so many.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I entered into a lot.” He laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt something in the pit of his stomach twist, thinking of how those medal’s twins were back in Brazil, some sitting in Heitor’s house; others were thrown into closets of the various others he had briefly played with over the years.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was leaning forward to inspect them, looking at the various dates and inscriptions.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s the big trophy?”, he asked, pointing with one finger.</p><p> </p><p>Eyes flickering up and down the glistening silver ornament, Hinata said; “Oh, that was our first official championship. Mine and Heitor’s; my beach volleyball partner.”</p><p> </p><p>He could vividly recall Heitor’s arm looped around his shoulders; Nice kissing both of their cheeks; Pedro smiling and cheering, louder than he ever usually was while watching Hinata's victories; and their many friends and opponents alike clapping him on the back. The heat of the Summer sun was overwhelming, and Hinata had downed three beers in a row and felt so lightheaded he thought he might faint. He could barely even remember the match anymore, but those moments after winning, the elation and fatigue and a faint tinge of grief that it was all over, had stuck with him. Inexplicably, he found himself recounting the whole thing to Shigeru. It had taken him and Heitor a long time to get there, he explained, and they had felt as though they were on top of the world when they finally did it.</p><p> </p><p>“I wish my dad talked more about his old tournaments.” Shigeru glanced over at Hinata, for the first time since the older man had begun to speak. “He was good, you know.” The last sentence was spoken flatly, as though challenging Hinata to contradict him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hummed. “I’m sure he was.” He remembered Oikawa leaping up into the air on the sand down at the bay, about to serve. He would have been a monster in his prime.</p><p> </p><p>The teenager began to pick his way about the room.</p><p> </p><p>“That bed never used to be here”, he said as he walked. “The couch was always back there, until about ten years ago, I think, when we started using this place for storage. When I was really little, we used to build a den with it.”</p><p> </p><p>“You and your dad?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru grinned wickedly. When he shook his head, his light brown bangs fell into his eyes, and he flicked them away with a sharper shake. “Hanamaki and Matsukawa taught me. I think dad used to join sometimes.” A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face and then faded. “Watari started coming over, so we would hide in there after we moved into the cottage. It used to drive dad mad.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tracked him with his eyes as he wandered the floor by the couch. “Did you like living out here?” Hinata certainly did: He felt close to the sea, out here. He was not sure he would have liked staying in a hotel room.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t really remember. I was still young when the couple who used to run this place said we could move into the cottage. They were nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“What about your mom?”, Hinata asked, before he could stop himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Dad… He, er…” Shigeru stopped, staring at Hinata. His face was pale, his eyes enlarged so that they almost seemed to overtake his irises. “We don’t really talk about…”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Hinata ducked his head. “It’s okay, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, it’s fine. I just- I don’t…”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru had circled back to where the trophy stood; only now, he was staring at the photos placed beside it. He traced one frame with the pads of his fingers before dropping them.</p><p> </p><p>When he glanced up toward Hinata, he inquired; “Do you miss Brazil a lot?”</p><p> </p><p>Glad of the topic change, Hinata answered truthfully; “Yes. I keep finding myself comparing it to here. But I think I’ll probably always do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“You and my dad. Both of you were so brave, chasing your dreams. Although, of course, dad…” Shigeru frowned. “I always sort of wondered what else I might be able to do, out there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Where would you want to go?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it’s just a thought.” The younger man laughed a little. “I don’t even know. There are so many places in the world to see. I’ve never even been to my dad’s hometown. Even Kentarou has travelled more than I have.” His laugh was a little less stilted this time; more genuine, Hinata thought.</p><p> </p><p>"You could play volleyball", he suggested, and when Shigeru merely smiled he asked; “Would you ever want to leave here, then?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru thought for a moment before answering. “No, I don’t think so.  Seeing all of this”, he waved a hand at Hinata’s things, “makes me wonder, but I could never leave dad, or Watari, or Hanamaki and Matsukawa. And I can’t wait to get married to Kentarou. Dad is going to give us the villa, one day. He doesn’t want me to run it- I think he thinks I can’t or that I shouldn’t- but I want to. Kentarou, too. We’ll show him we can."</p><p> </p><p>“You’re young, Shigeru”, Hinata said softly. “Right now, you can only follow what you most want to do, so it’s not good listening to what everyone else is telling you to do.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru grinned. “I knew you’d get it.” He turned to Hinata suddenly, his eyes wide. “Hinata. I don’t know when you were planning to leave, but… I’d like for you to stay for the wedding!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered for a moment. He had been starting to have more fun lately. His life at the villa with Oikawa and the others felt somewhat stable. As Hanamaki and Matsukawa had said, they had each other, even with all of the people passing through. Even if someone like Kenma, who he had grown close to, left, he would still have Yachi and Yamaguchi and Bokuto.</p><p> </p><p>Besides, Shigeru was a nice person. A little too earnest sometimes, and occasionally sarcastic and blunt, but he was just a teenager. Hinata felt a strange, what he imagined might almost be paternal affection for him. It would surely do him no harm to stay for a few months. In fact, it gave him time to plan for whatever came next.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay”, he replied evenly. “If that’s alright with your dad, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Shigeru stood bolt upright. “I’ll go tell him now!” He sprinted to the door, pausing to say, over his shoulder; “Don’t worry, he likes having you here too, I can tell.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, he threw the door open. Hinata made his way over, smiling to watch him run back up to the villa. On his way, he passed Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Watari, who all stopped their conversation to stare at Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could not help chuckling; still, at the same time, he wondered whether encouraging Shigeru had been the right thing to do. It was a tricky balance to find: Shigeru certainly had to do what he thought would make him happy, for only he could really say that for himself. Yet Oikawa did make a good point. Was Shigeru really mature enough to decide his whole future? Hinata had been so sure of himself at that age, and it had worked out well for him, but he had never intentionally planned for the long-term future. His time in Brazil had been driven solely by his need to stand on the court one more time, to spike one more ball, to share his victory with his friends once more. Everything after that was a blank.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he retreated back inside the outhouse and firmly closed the door.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was the thumping noises that drew Hinata to the window.</p><p> </p><p>He should have guessed that they signalled the arrival of Bokuto: Wherever he went, the man seemed to cause some kind of noise.</p><p> </p><p>He was lying at the bottom of the uneven steps leading down to the outhouse, half-sprawled on top of Hinata’s moped, which seemed to have keeled over to one side.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata found himself scanning the horizon for the goat before he stepped outside, and then internally scolded himself at how ridiculous that was. He hadn’t even seen the cursed animal for some time. It was likely long gone.</p><p> </p><p>Slipping on a pair of sneakers, he flung the door wide open.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright?” He raced forwards to help Bokuto up. “You’re lucky that didn’t fall on you!”</p><p> </p><p>“I brought back your moped!” Bokuo paused, frowning up at Hinata and then dusting himself off once he stood upright. “I should have just left it up there, shouldn’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tipped his head back to laugh. “Yeah, probably.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yachi got home okay. But I guess you already figured that. She was talking about getting dinner tonight if you want to come? I’m not working today.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Hinata raised an eyebrow, his laughter morphing to a smirk. “Are you not hanging around at the bar tonight? Bokuto, are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not open tonight. I’m not there every night, Hinata, you make me sound like some kind of alcoholic.” He scowled.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, both Yamaguchi and Oikawa did know you from there, so you can’t blame me…” Hinata laughed again at Bokuto’s expression, before nudging him with one arm. “Let’s go get dinner. I think I know the perfect place.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto broke out of his bad mood with a chuckle, and they forwent the moped in favour of taking the walk down toward the café. An evening of chill had settled in the air, along with a thin layer of fog that dusted the ground unevenly, so they walked close together across the hills.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused as they reached the crest overlooking the cliffs, a thought churning in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto?”, he asked, when his friend realised he had stopped and raised one thick eyebrow. “Have you ever played volleyball before?”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto grinned back at him, puffing his chest out slightly. “I was the ace of my team back in high school.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want to play a game now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Against a professional beach volleyball player?” His grin widened, both rows of teeth on display. “Bring it on!”</p><p> </p><p>They raced down the hill. Hinata could feel tiny droplets clinging to his legs where they ran through the mist, could see the webs of white curling away from their advance. The sand felt a little damp, unfortunately; rain must have caught the cove the night before. Either that or the wind was bringing the sea spray in fierce against the shore.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata quickly located the ball, the one that he now left there after each round. He was a little impressed, and very surprised, that nobody had taken it. However, he figured, not many people came out that way.</p><p> </p><p>He served first, launching the ball skyways. Wanting to savor every moment, he arced his head back to follow its path.</p><p> </p><p>Deciding to go easy on Bokuto, Hinata merely batted it over the net toward his opponent.</p><p> </p><p>And was stunned when Bokuto slammed the ball straight back down into the earth by his feet, too fast for him to even react.</p><p> </p><p>He gaped for a moment before recovering. So Bokuto was not lying: He was good.</p><p> </p><p>The game- if it could be called that, with each serving in turn while the other attempted to receive or block- was much closer than any other Hinata had had here. He still thought Oikawa was the best player he had met here; Bokuto seemed rusty. Still, he was undeniably good. The main thing tipping the scales in Hinata’s favour were his receives.</p><p> </p><p>The final point that Bokuto conceded came when he slammed the ball down far behind Hinata’s back: In a spot that would have been inside the lines in indoor volleyball, yet would be far out in beach volleyball.</p><p> </p><p>“That was definitely out”, Hinata had argued, until they came to a draw and Bokuto admitted that he had been defeated.</p><p> </p><p>As they walked back up the hill together, exhausted and realising it is starting to get properly dark now, Bokuto said; “If it was a <em>proper</em> game, I would have won.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata squinted at him. He chose to ignore the barb. “No, I don’t think so.”</p><p> </p><p>“My high school team were good”, Bokuto continued defensively.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure they were.”</p><p> </p><p>“We used to play beach volleyball sometimes, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“So how come you didn’t know the rules, then?”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto’s head snapped around to look at him, and he chased Hinata the rest of the way up the hill.</p><p> </p><p>By the time they make it to Yachi’s, Hinata was cold, damp, and exhausted, and he could smell the salt in his hair.</p><p> </p><p>The café was empty when they entered, with the exception of Yachi, who leant against the counter, sipping on a cup of tea.</p><p> </p><p>When they walked in, she burst out laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“Long time no see, stranger”, she chortled once she had set her tea down. “Hinata, I ought to make you a loyalty card or something. I was just about to close up.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata snickered. “Sorry, we would have come earlier but we got side-tracked on the way here. Bokuto is a sore loser.” Bokuto snorted and crossed his arms, and Hinata tried to hold back his laughter. However, once he met Yachi’s grin he could not stop himself from echoing her expression. “We can go somewhere else, though. Join us?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine. I’ll make something and eat with you guys if that’s okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay! Need a hand?” Bokuto started forwards enthusiastically.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi held both hands up in front of her. “Woah, I’ll make you guys food but if my boss knows I let you back in the kitchen he’d kill me. You just wait here.”</p><p> </p><p>With a rattle of keys, which she produced from one pocket in her apron, she locked the glass front door and then disappeared out the back. Hinata and Bokuto sat down to wait, too exhausted to keep standing.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them spoke until she returned with the food, and by then both of their stomachs were rumbling.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, barbecued meat…” Bokuto was practically drooling. “Yachi, you’re too good to us.”</p><p> </p><p>The waitress merely chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh”, she said, pausing to swallow the mouthful she was eating before continuing; “Yamaguchi stopped by on his way home from work earlier. He said he’s been good. He asked how you had been, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I should visit him, at some point”, Hinata mused aloud. He was sure Shimada would not mind if Hinata kidnapped his colleague again: Last time he had seemed to encourage it.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’ll be tourist season soon”, said Yachi. “March is coming up. He’s going to be busy, he probably won’t mind.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s going to get busy everywhere.” Bokuto groaned, rubbing his stomach. He had eaten far too much far too quickly; that much was obvious.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata poured a glass of water from the jug on the table and slid it across to him, and he took it with a grateful nod.</p><p> </p><p>“You should bring Yamaguchi back to the bar again, sometime. It was great seeing him the other night, a real blast from the past.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto, you know the Tsukishima he talks about, right?”, Hinata queried.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Tsukki.” Bokuto poured himself another glass. “Yeah. He’s an asshole, but he’s cool. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shrugged. He'd sort of gotten that impression. “No reason.”</p><p> </p><p>Seeming to accept that answer readily enough, Bokuto flopped down face-first on the table and smiled up at the bemused faces of his friends.</p><p> </p><p>“I really love it here”, he murmured, gaze hazy. “I’m so glad you guys are here.”</p><p> </p><p>On another occasion, Hinata might have laughed at Bokuto’s almost food-drunken state. Yet he himself felt both exhausted and sated, so he simply nodded and stretched his limbs out, leaning back in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>“I like it here, too”, he admitted. He recalled his conversation with Shigeru. “Actually, I’ve decided to stay here a little longer. At least until June.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, that’s excellent!”, Yachi cried, clasping her hands together.</p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t sure, but… This place has won me over.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi nodded. “This island.” She sighed, a soft sound. “It was always like an escape for me. It never felt real. But I think now I realize that I shouldn't have been thinking of it that way. It's a place like any other. It's only now that I'm actually trying to meet people, now that I've made some friends, that I think things are finally starting to get better for me. It took some time but... I think I'm finally over everything that I was trying to leave behind. I just had to get out of my head, I think."</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gave a soft smile. There were good and bad people anywhere you went: He had learnt that much from his time abroad, as well as his during his infrequent visits back to Japan. Sometimes you just had to find that out for yourself. And then decide where exactly home was. </p><p> </p><p>Bokuto sleepily grinned up at them, nodding his head slowly up and down. His cheek rubbed against the table in a way that could not have been comfortable.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto. Please don’t fall asleep here, or I’ll have to kick you out.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm hoping to get a few more chapters written and posted over the next few weeks before my university workload starts getting too intense, so some semblance of a plot should be coming in soon, I swear.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Yachi Is Afraid Of Spiders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kunimi was cradling a large mug of tea with a cat's face on it in both hands when he emerged from the kitchen. He flopped down next to Kindaichi with a large yawn, and the two of them began to whisper to each other.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata watched them over his omelet. He couldn’t quite make sense of either of them yet; not that he’d really had the chance to speak to them. They spent most of their time trailing after Kyoutani, much to Kyoutani’s chagrin.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani himself, who had just arrived a few minutes before, had immediately slumped into a chair at the end of the long table where Hinata and Watari had already been sitting, eating in companionable silence, and half-fallen asleep over his food. Around them, the droning of the few guests they had- all international, from the sound of it- talking to each other provided a blanket of white noise.</p><p> </p><p>It was slightly cold in the dining hall: The unnaturally warm weather for that time of year seemed to have finally waned completely, giving way to a usual damp Spring. Hinata had seen fields of not-yet-ripe crops emerging on his trips back and forth to town, and it made him hunger for the Summer.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru and Oikawa walked in together, and Watari jumped to his feet to pull Shigeru into a fierce hug.</p><p> </p><p>“Happy birthday!”, he cried.</p><p> </p><p>“Happy birthday!”, Hinata echoed, smiling up at Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>Kindaichi chorused; “Happy birthday, Shigeru.”</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi mumbled something that might have been a happy birthday into his cereal.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.” Shigeru sat down next to Watari, and then turned to stare pointedly down the table at Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>“What? I already said happy birthday this morning.” Kyoutani’s ears were pink, and when Shigeru caught his eye his face also went red.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata”, Oikawa interrupted cheerily, sliding into the seat beside him. “I hear you want to stay for the wedding.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari faced Hinata, his mouth dropping open. “You do?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded at him, his mouth still full, and the young man’s expression broke into a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“I just wanted to let you know that that’s fine”, Oikawa carried on. He shrugged. “We enjoy having you around here. I’ll even cut back the rest if you help out with giving more tours when things get busier.” He gave Hinata a teasing smile, elbowing him in the side.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata chuckled. “Alright, alright. You don’t need to ask.” He took another bite out of his omelet.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure that will be okay?”, Kyoutani asked. “You don’t know the island that well.”</p><p> </p><p>That was true. But Hinata had managed just fine so far, so he was sure it would be alright. Before, he might have wondered whether Kyoutani was attempting to discredit him in some way; yet now he recognized the concern in the way he was frowning at Hinata, so he merely shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m learning. And I can find out more. I’ve got a few contacts here myself.” He raised his eyebrows, and a wave of laughter ran around the group. Kyoutani looked away and Hinata glanced back down at his food. “There's a lot to see.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa stretched in his seat. “Well, if it makes it any easier, I won’t give you any of the tourists from abroad. Just people from Japan.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can maybe help if you have any Portuguese speaking guests, too”, he suggested.</p><p> </p><p>“I keep forgetting you can speak another language”, Watari piped up. “That’s cool. Can you teach us some?”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright then.” Hinata tried to think of something that sounded cool and failed. In the end, he just said the first thing that came into his head. “Bom dia.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds cool, too.” Shigeru looked across the table at his father. “Bom dia.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa chuckled, and then said it back; “Bom dia.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bom dia”, Watari parroted. “What does that mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed the last bite of his omelet. “Good morning.” He grinned. “Eu amo você.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru frowned, leaning in slightly. “What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Eu amo você.” He repeated it slower and clearer this time.</p><p> </p><p>“Eu amo você.” Shigeru tilted his head. “What’s that one?”</p><p> </p><p>“It means I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Awww”, said Watari, his voice rising in pitch as he dragged the sound out. “Shigeru, eu amo você.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru laughed and batted his eyelids at his friend. “Eu amo você too, Watari.” He leaned across the table. “Kentarou, you say it!”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani tried, and then huffed as the others went into hysterics over the strangled noise coming out of his mouth. It was an admirable effort, Hinata had to admit, even if it sounded little to nothing like the actual words.</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t help smiling when Shigeru got up, made his way over to his fiancé, and wrapped his arms over Kyoutani’s shoulder, placing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Eu amo você.”</p><p> </p><p>“Give it a rest”, Watari cried, and Hinata and Oikawa exchanged amused glances when Shigeru put his middle finger up at his friend.</p><p> </p><p>At the next table along, Kunimi had slid so far down in his seat that Hinata wondered whether he had fallen asleep.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuffled back onto his knees, trying not to retch at the black gunk he was scrubbing off of the floor that had been underneath the couch. How long had it been left like that? Shigeru had said it was moved there about ten years ago, right? Had they just not cleaned the floor before then?</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, where did you want me to put- Hinata? Are you okay?” Yachi paused beside him, her face turning panicked, and he waved one hand at her in an attempt to calm her.</p><p> </p><p>“Is he alright?”, Kenma asked from the other side of the room, his voice rising uncharacteristically in concern.</p><p> </p><p>“I- I think so?” She was still watching him, waiting for him to speak.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded, depositing the filthy cloth he was holding into the bucket beside him. The water was already clouded, and it turned virtually opaque when he dropped it in. Coughing against one hand, he straightened up.</p><p> </p><p>“I have kind of a weak stomach”, he explained, “and that was vile. Sorry, Yachi, what were you asking?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wanted to know where you wanted these old books?” She nodded down at the stack in her arms.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata lifted the bucket. “I think they’re Oikawa’s. If you take them around to their place- where we passed by the other day- I think Shigeru is there. He can tell you if they want them or not.”</p><p> </p><p>Most likely not, he thought privately, or they would not be left in the outhouse with him.</p><p> </p><p>Seeing that Hinata was fine, Kenma sighed to himself and continued gently wiping at the window, trying not to knock it away from where it was desperately hanging onto its hinges.</p><p> </p><p>As Yachi left, she passed Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who carried yet more cleaning supplies.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had decided that today, with the emergence of Spring, was the prime time to clear out the bottom floor of the outhouse, especially now that he was staying for some time longer. He had managed to enlist the help of Yachi and Kenma- having his phone number was useful, it had emerged- although Yamaguchi and Bokuto had claimed the excuse of having to work. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were supposed to be working as well but had been darting in and out to help where they could.</p><p> </p><p>“Really”, said Matsukawa as he slammed down the box he had been carrying and melodramatically wiped at his forehead, pushing a dark curl away from his eyes in the process, “I should not have to do this today. On the day of my birthday. Oikawa even made be cook this morning, can you believe that?”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki pulled out a cloth and a spray bottle. Distractedly, he murmured; “Well, he likes your cooking, you should be flattered.”</p><p> </p><p>“Makki, did you just take Oikawa’s side?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I did.” He frowned up at Matsukawa over the table that he had just begun to polish. “Shoot me now.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll shoot you later, you’re being useful right now.” Matsukawa yawned, and then turned to Hinata. “Did you know that Hanamaki isn’t allowed in the kitchen here?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata fought against an amused smirk. “I didn’t know that, no.”</p><p> </p><p>“He makes a mess of everything he touches.”</p><p> </p><p>Sniffing, Hanamaki said, more into the surface of the table than to anyone else in the room; “I could have been an excellent pastry chef.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you could have been”, Matsukawa conceded, finally taking up his own cloth to begin helping with the cleaning. “If you could actually cook.”</p><p> </p><p>Chuckling at Hanamaki’s outraged protest, Hinata made his way back outside with the bucket of water. He avoided looking at the contents as he spilled them out onto the ground, allowing the earth to claim it. Yet more fuel for the plants beginning to bud. Or, perhaps it would kill them. He hoped he wouldn't find a patch where the grass had turned brown and wilted in a couple of weeks' time.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi was just coming down the steps as he rose to make his way back inside, and the two of them exchanged smiles before stepping in through the open doorway.</p><p> </p><p>Except then she was screaming, and half-vaulting backward up the steps and away from the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Looking down, Hinata let out a shriek himself: Several huge spiders were crawling their way out of the outhouse, skittering and weaving their way across the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Too late, Matsukawa warned; “Hey, watch out.”</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata glanced toward him, he saw that Matsukawa had lifted a rug that had previously been folded in one corner of the room and was shaking it. Apparently, in doing so he had awoken all of the small creatures in the outhouse. Hinata’s stomach twisted at the thought of how long he may have been unknowingly co-habiting with the spiders.</p><p> </p><p>This was clearly not a good morning for his insides.</p><p> </p><p>Together, Hinata and Kenma tried to shepherd the spiders away, Hinata whipping at them with his cloth and Kenma shaking a broom. Kenma had to dart out of the way as one of them made a beeline straight for his shoe. They really were vicious looking things, Hinata thought, as he chased what was hopefully the last one through the open doorway.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Hanamaki and Matsukawa had both conveniently disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>"They left just now. Didn't say where they were going", Yachi informed him, when he asked afterward.</p><p> </p><p>Only when he was sure that the spiders were all gone did Hinata’s heart calm down.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope there’s not an infestation somewhere”, Kenma remarked, and Yachi, who had just re-entered the room, went pale.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m afraid of spiders”, she whispered to Hinata, and Hinata nodded back at her.</p><p> </p><p>“Me too.” In the back of his mind, memories of clinging to Pedro's broad back in fear as his roommate collected spiders in a jar and then dangled the jar out of the window, came to light. He remembered that one specific jar that they always kept on the kitchen counter, a tall, curved glass with a thin lid. They had even called it The Spider Jar.</p><p> </p><p>They continued on, Yachi cautiously lifting piles of discarded waste to throw away; Hinata cleaning the floors in her wake, and Kenma dusting and polishing around the various surfaces and walls.</p><p> </p><p>When they were done, some hours later, the room was hardly recognizable. Although it was still undeniable old and crumbling, it was no longer caked with the layer of dust that had seemed to permeate each surface previously.</p><p> </p><p>Sitting back on the couch in between Yachi and Kenma, the three of them reclining in a row with their arms folded over their chests, Hinata said; “Good job. Thank you so much, guys.”</p><p> </p><p>The only answers he got were two identical sighs. Craning his head back and feeling the cool fabric beneath his neck, Hinata peered up at the ceiling. That was the one place that was still covered in grime, however he figured he could leave that to another day. It had long since passed lunchtime. Glancing about the room, he tried to see if there was anywhere else that needed adjusting, and his eyes ultimately came to rest on the dark passageway in the wall.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata slapped his hands on his knees. He had sat still long enough. “Well. I should probably start on upstairs.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma raised his eyebrows, rolling his head up from the back of the couch to face Hinata. “What’s the point? Part of the roof is missing. Even if we clean it, it’ll be all damp and rotting up there.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s only a small hole.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto nearly fell through”, Yachi pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata slumped his shoulders, admitting defeat.</p><p> </p><p>The shuffling of footsteps had him turning, to find Watari and Shigeru entering the outhouse. Shigeru brandished a bottle of something in one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Kentarou is entertaining his friends still, so we thought we’d come here and bother you.”</p><p> </p><p>Squinting, Hinata asked; “Is that sake?”</p><p> </p><p>“Kentarou gave it to me.” Shigeru smiled. “We went out for dinner last night. Did you want some?” He held the bottle out, and Hinata saw that it was indeed sake.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe later. We’re cleaning this place out.”</p><p> </p><p>“I saw. Some of that stuff I forgot we had, even.” Shigeru set the bottle down on the table beside the couch, careful not to knock over any of Hinata’s photo frames. “Do you need a hand?”</p><p> </p><p>Watari had made his way around the other side of the room and was gaping at the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re almost done.” Wiping one hand over his face, Hinata grinned. “You show up at the last minute and offer, though, huh? Convenient.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, when you said you were going to clear it out I thought you meant moving a few things around”, said Watari. “I’ve never seen it so clean in here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata suggested; “You could help me sort out upstairs? Maybe tomorrow?” It was starting to grow dark outside, the light coming in the window fading rapidly. “I probably won’t clean it, but maybe just throw out some of the stuff up there. You know, in case Oikawa wants to use it for something in the future.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure. We’ll help, right, Shinji?” Shigeru elbowed the other man, who had moved back to stand beside him.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Yeah, okay.” Watari was still staring around the room with his eyes blown wide.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma got up from the couch and began to rifle about in the large rucksack he had brought with him. When he lifted his head, he was holding the cases of a couple of video games.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had wondered why he’d brought that bag. It was almost as big as Kenma himself.</p><p> </p><p>He should have known there was a reason behind Keman encouraging him to purchase a TV; he had gotten one from the electronics store in town the day before.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma glanced up and met his eyes, his catlike golden irises gleaming. “Did you want to have a go?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma held a controller out, just within his reach, and then held another aloft. “Who else?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged. "I'll give it a go."</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes later, Hinata was screaming.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! Yes! Yes!”, he cried. He was just rounding the corner in his cart, far ahead of Shigeru. Certain victory was almost guaranteed.</p><p> </p><p>Only for the screen to flicker with static, a high pitched buzzing noise briefly sounding, and then everything went dark.</p><p> </p><p>"No!" It came out of him as a guttural scream; anyone listening in from outside may have thought a murder was bring committed.</p><p> </p><p>Well, Hinata thought as he threw the controller down on the couch beside him, narrowly missing Watari. That was the price of living in the outhouse: The occasional lack of electricity and heating.</p><p> </p><p>“You weren’t going to beat me”, scoffed Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata knelt on the couch to point at Shigeru over Watari’s head. “Yes I was!”</p><p> </p><p>Watari batted his hand away, laughing. “Shigeru, he was destroying you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yo!”, a voice called, and when Hinata looked up he spotted Matsukawa and Hanamaki entering through the open doorway. Each of them carried two boxes of pizza in their arms.</p><p> </p><p>Setting his load down with a grin, Hanamaki announced; “It’s for everyone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, you didn’t have to-”, began Watari.</p><p> </p><p>“I do”, Matsukawa silenced him with a shrug. “Shigeru is my birthday twin, so I need to treat him, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He held one hand out for a low-five and Shigeru slapped it. Matsukawa caught his hand and shook it, and after a moment Shigeru tried to tug his hand away, kicking at Matsukawa’s hip when he couldn’t break free. Matsukawa finally let go, wincing and dramatically rubbing at his side.</p><p> </p><p>“I just beat Hinata at Mario Kart”, Shigeru called out, ignoring him. "Do you guys want to play?”</p><p> </p><p>“Liar”, hissed Hinata. Even Yachi and Kenma, who both seemed to have gone quiet out of shyness, were smiling. Kenma didn't seem bothered in the slightest that the others had commandeered his game.</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa tilted his head. “Against each other?” He side-eyed Hanamaki.</p><p> </p><p>“I would love to. Any excuse to kick his ass.” Hanamaki set the pizzas down on the table.</p><p> </p><p>And he did.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki won the game easily against Matsukawa and then spent the next several minutes yelling about it until Shigeru told him to shut up. More games ensued, with Yachi and Watari facing off against each other- Watari seemed to feel bad for winning, apologizing profusely when he did, although it sent Hinata and Yachi into fits of laughter when he referred to Yachi as ‘ma’am’- and then Kenma and Hinata went head to head.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scowled when Kenma left him in the dust.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t feel too bad”, Kenma consoled him, in his usual monotonous cadence, although his eyes flashed with triumph. Hinata internally decided that he was done with video games. “I’m a pro-gamer, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki and Matsukawa raised their eyebrows at each other.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere along the way, amongst the laughter and the squabbling, Shigeru cracked open the sake, and Watari ran to fetch some cups they had from the main hotel part of the villa, and Hinata felt warmth flowing through him as he began to sip at the alcohol.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“As it’s my birthday-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, here we go.” Watari rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Upset at being interrupted, Shigeru waved both of his hands aggressively at his best friend. “Shh, Shinji!”</p><p> </p><p>Weakly, Hinata asked; “Shouldn’t you two be getting to bed now?”</p><p> </p><p>He was sat in his own bed, the blankets clutched up against his chest. He had gotten ready to go to sleep, brushing his teeth and washing his face in the hut outside, in the hopes that the others would get the message and head home. Most of them had understood: Matsukawa and Hanamaki had left some time ago, claiming they were going into town to celebrate Matsukawa’s birthday; and Kenma and Yachi had departed not long after, walking together.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru and Watari, though, had clearly not gotten the memo. The two of them had transported the leftovers of the takeaway to the edge of Hinata’s bed, in order to continue their conversation with him, and plonked themselves down alongside it. The bed was long enough that the two of them could sit comfortably on the end, cross-legged, and come nowhere near Hinata’s own legs; although Hinata was slightly worried at the strained whines the mattress gave whenever one of them shifted.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring Hinata, Shigeru continued; “As it’s my birthday, I think I should get a say in what we do this weekend.” He was clearly tired, struggling to keep his eyes open, yet he laughed brightly as he spoke. Hinata wondered whether he and Watari had finished off the last of the sake while he was in the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>“You already had today off”, Watari said.</p><p> </p><p>“I say we go to Tokyo and I get to dress up in a suit and eat cake. Because I’m an adult now.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari laughed, but Shigeru’s words had awakened some long-buried memories in Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>He remarked; “I remember my twentieth birthday.”</p><p> </p><p>“How long ago was that?”, Watari teased.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey. Not that long ago. Me and my family went out to dinner, and I actually wore a hakama. I’m sure my mother still has the photos, somewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was stuffing his face with a slice of pizza, a content smile on his face. As Hinata finished speaking, he swallowed and sat upright.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh! I’ve seen some photos of my dad, on his twentieth birthday, too! He looked so good. Except he-” He stopped, looking at Hinata, and then he and Watari locked eyes and Shigeru hurriedly looked away. “Well, he had me.”</p><p> </p><p>The two younger men were silent for a few minutes, eating the last of the food. Hinata was tempted to ask for a slice, but he knew he would regret it in the morning if he had any more now. His stomach felt uneasy enough as it was.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, I need to tell you something”, Shigeru said, his voice so soft that Hinata had to strain to listen. The young man was staring at the box of pizza, although he hadn’t eaten anything for a while, leaving Watari to finish the last slice.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru?”, Watari asked, a worried crease between his eyes. He reached out to touch his friend’s arm, however Shigeru moved away from him so sharply that the bed groaned in protest.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I want to talk about it”, he hissed. “I’m fed up with not talking about it.” When Hinata looked at him, he saw that Shigeru’s face had darkened, thunder clouds rolling in. It wasn’t a look that he was used to seeing.</p><p> </p><p>The air suddenly felt tight and humid around them. Although he didn't know what they were talking about, Hinata was suddenly unsure whether he wanted to hear it, if it was something that would cause them to argue.</p><p> </p><p>Watari warned; “Shigeru, it’s not your story to tell.” He kept glancing between Hinata and Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s my dad. It’s my story to tell.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s stomach clenched. He thought that he may need to run to the bathroom, although he really hoped not; it was cold and dark outside, and it had been bad enough going out before to get ready for bed.</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?”, he whispered, looking between the two men sitting at either end of his mattress.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru said; “I want my father to come to my wedding.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is he not?” Hinata had known that Oikawa seemed to doubt whether Shigeru was doing the right thing in getting married. However, from what he had seen, Oikawa would do anything for his son to be happy. He couldn’t imagine him not attending the wedding for any reason.</p><p> </p><p>“Not Oikawa. My real father.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared blankly. Was this some sordid family secret that he wasn’t supposed to know? Oh, why had he asked about Shigeru’s mother the other day? Had he brought up a taboo topic?</p><p> </p><p>“Oikawa is your real father!”, Watari hissed, leaning forward to grab at Shigeru’s arm.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru again twisted away from his friend’s grasp. “He is, but- you know what I mean!”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Hinata asked, still bewildered by what was happening. The knot in his stomach just kept getting tighter with each passing second.</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing, Shigeru said; “My dad was born a woman. He gave birth to me, after coming to the island.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t move an inch, not wanting to break the tension in the atmosphere. He was stunned: He honestly had not expected that. There was nothing about Oikawa that had seemed particularly feminine to him at all; but then, he supposed, there was no reason for that to be the case.</p><p> </p><p>There was silence for a moment, and then he realized that Shigeru and Watari were each staring at him, the worry evident on their faces.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaned forward to pat Shigeru’s arm reassuringly, and he didn't move away while he continued, all in a rush; “And now I’m an adult and I’m getting married and I still don’t know who my father is. And I probably never will.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata let out a long breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Still a secret, then, but not sordid. All of Shigeru’s previous hesitancies about discussing his mother suddenly made sense.</p><p> </p><p>Watari was still laughing, although it sounded hollow now, his throat hoarse. “Oikawa is your dad, though. You’re so ungrateful, sometimes, Shigeru.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t laugh”, Shigeru muttered. “It’s important to me.”</p><p> </p><p>He raised both hands to cover his eyes, before his face smoothed and he laid his head down on the blankets with his eyes closed. After a minute or so of silence, his breathing evened out.</p><p> </p><p>Watari watched his friend as he calmed, and then looked up at Hinata. “We were really worried, you know, about how you’d react. Some people- especially people in town-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine.” Hinata cut him off. “It- it doesn’t make a difference to me at all. Oikawa is Oikawa.” He shrugged. "Look at you two, worrying over nothing." He hoped his smile came across in his tone.</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Watari said, his voice almost returned to normal; “I know Oikawa doesn’t really like to talk about that. He says all of that is in the past. But I think Shigeru just wishes he knew more. Not about that in specific, but just his dad's life in general.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded back, suddenly feeling very drowsy. With the sapping of the tense atmosphere, he had been reminded of his own fatigue. “Watari, maybe you should take-”</p><p> </p><p>“I think he likes talking to you”, Watari carried on, “because you were able to do some of the things Oikawa had to give up on.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, he yawned, then curled up on the bed beside Shigeru and closed his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sat still for a moment, unsure of what to do. Shigeru was drooling on a blanket that had a picture of a beach scene.</p><p> </p><p>“Watari? Shigeru?”, he tried, keeping his voice a whisper, and received no answer.</p><p> </p><p>Perhaps he should just lay down and go to sleep, too.</p><p> </p><p>As he shuffled back in his bed, another thought occurred to Hinata, something else slotting into place in his mind: The fact that Oikawa was so good, but Hinata had never heard of him. Of course he had never heard of Oikawa. Oikawa hadn’t played men’s volleyball, as Hinata had supposed before.</p><p> </p><p>Watari groaned and rolled over, looping an arm about Hinata’s legs.</p><p> </p><p>There came the sound of footsteps, and the door to the outhouse opened. Hinata raised his head.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was peeking in the door, frowning. His hair was uncombed and ruffled. He met Hinata’s gaze with a questioning look, and then his face softened into a fond smile when he spotted the young men asleep on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>Walking quietly, he slipped inside and over to the bed, where he stopped to stare down at his son and his son’s friend, his face still lit with a gentle expression.</p><p> </p><p>Then, he clapped his hands twice, loudly.</p><p> </p><p>“What…”, Watari blinked, startled at the noise, and sat up. There were light red lines indented on his face from the blanket.</p><p> </p><p>“No”, Shigeru groaned, turning his face into the sheets.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa moved toward him briskly. “Come on. I’m sure Hinata would like to sleep too, so please return to your own beds." He shook his son's shoulder sharply, just once.</p><p> </p><p>The two young men grumbled at him as they raised themselves from the bed and marched out of the door.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata merely grinned as Oikawa gave him a cheery wave on the way out. “Sorry to have disturbed you. Good night, Shouyou!”</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Oikawa.”</p><p> </p><p>Finally alone, he turned his lamp off and collapsed back down onto his bed.</p><p> </p><p>Drifting off into unconsciousness, Hinata found himself thinking of Yachi. He thought of how she had said that she had come to the island as an escape, and how she was beginning to find her place and recover. He wondered, knowing what he knew now, whether Oikawa had done much the same, all those long years ago. He wondered whether that was why Oikawa had been so welcoming of him, so understanding. He wondered whether that was what he was trying to do, whether this island would become the same for him.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere among his wonderings, he lapsed into unconsciousness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Tobio Is A Real Jerk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaand this is where the Mamma Mia plotline really starts to come in! I'm so excited for the next several chapters!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he blinked open his eyes the next morning, Hinata was shocked to find Watari and Shigeru sitting at the foot of his bed, broad grins lighting their faces.</p><p> </p><p>He blearily rubbed at his eyes, sure that it was just an afterimage of the night before.</p><p> </p><p>They were still there.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought Oikawa kicked you out”, Hinata groaned, rolling onto his side to check his phone- no new messages- and then swinging his legs out of the bed to put his slippers on. It was definitely morning, and fairly early at that if the bird calls outside were anything to go by. How were they looking so... Sprightly?</p><p> </p><p>“We came back”, Shigeru announced cheerily. In the early morning light, he looked a lot like his father. “We said we’d help with the last of the cleaning, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata vaguely remembered. He stood up, momentarily enjoying that he could look down at the two seated boys.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru wanted to get everything cleared out by lunch because he and Kyoutani are going out to look at the venue this afternoon”, Watari said, crossing his legs on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata ran one hand through his hair, and then glanced over at the door. He muttered; "Kyoutani really needs to take another look at my lock.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari frowned. “Ungrateful.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, there was no point in delaying it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata clapped his hands together and was reminded of Oikawa, the night before, standing over them with a grin. “Let’s get on with it, then.”</p><p> </p><p>The three of them headed up the narrow passageway, led more by their sense of touch than sight, emerging into the cloistered attic. Thin beams of light made their way through the hole in the roof; the skylight; and the broken window to one side.</p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t been up here in forever”, Watari murmured, and then put one arm over his mouth to disguise a coughing fit.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru smiled when he saw the volleyball. “Dad.” He rolled his eyes, still with the small smile on his face. Hinata was watching him carefully after his outburst the night before; he seemed far more mellow now. Hinata put it down to the alcohol.</p><p> </p><p>Hefting the first of the boxes toward him, Hinata raised the lid off and indicated to Shigeru to take a look. It was the one filled with clothes.</p><p> </p><p>Rifling through the contents, Shigeru frowned. “I don’t know where all these came from. They might even have been here before.” He shook his head. “Junk. We can toss that out.”</p><p> </p><p>He kicked it across the floor in the direction of the stairs they had just climbed. It stopped just by the edge, and Hinata breathed a silent sigh of relief that it didn’t go further: Attempting to pick up the fabric strewn across the stairs, in the darkness, without tripping over any of them, would surely not be fun.</p><p> </p><p>Watari had already gone to another box and was looking through its contents.</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru, come and look at this”, he called, and Hinata craned his neck to see what it was he had found.</p><p> </p><p>It was the box with the photos.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata joined the younger two as they flicked through the pile of images. Quite a few were water-damaged or blurred at the bottom, which became evident quickly as Shigeru flipped through the whole stack in rapid succession, but the ones on the top were as Hinata remembered: Images of Oikawa and various others around the villa. It was only now that he was looking at them again that he was able to focus on the background. The villa in those days was noticeably less run down, and no vines or foliage climbed over the walls.</p><p> </p><p>“Your dad looks so young here”, Watari giggled, pointing at one of the photos.</p><p> </p><p>“He does, doesn’t he?” Shigeru stared at the image, where a young Oikawa laughed at something just out of frame.</p><p> </p><p>Watari poked his friend. “Handsome, too.” He cackled when Shigeru glared at him.</p><p> </p><p>“They must be from when he first came here”, Shigeru pondered. Hinata watched his face change from irritation to wonder. “I’ve never seen these before.” He put that photo to the back of the pile.</p><p> </p><p>Snickering, Shigeru began; “And there’s-”</p><p> </p><p>“Makki and Matsun!”, he and Watari finished together, and this time Hinata joined in their laughter.</p><p> </p><p>The two familiar faces beamed up at them from what looked to be a small rowing boat, each holding a paddle and sporting a life vest. They seemed to be in the shallow water of the bay, the boat almost run ashore. Oikawa crouched on the sand several feet in front of them, holding a peace sign up in front of his face.</p><p> </p><p>Still smiling, Shigeru turned to the next image. In it, Oikawa was standing with his arm looped about the shoulders of a shorter man with spiked dark hair, the both of them leaning against what Hinata recognized- with a jolt- as the door of the outhouse. It took him a moment to place it, as the door was coated in blue paint that must have peeled off over the years.</p><p> </p><p>“And that’s Iwaizumi”, Shigeru laughed in a singsong voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Who?”, Watari hummed.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s dad’s old friend. He’s like my uncle, too, though I never met him because he lives on the mainland. But dad talks about him sometimes. When he does talk about his past, I mean.” He frowned. “He and dad grew up together, and he came to the island for a while when dad was first here. Most of the pictures that dad still has of him as a kid have Iwaizumi in, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Hinata could ask anything else, he flipped the page.</p><p> </p><p>“Aw, it’s José.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head. “Hm?”</p><p> </p><p>Peeking over Shigeru’s arm, he spotted that it was the image of the Caucasian man who had been holding baby Shigeru in another photo. Oikawa stood beside him, smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“José. He and his wife were from Argentina. They owned the villa before dad. When he came here, they kind of took him in. They were like grandparents to me, when I was little.”</p><p> </p><p>“What happened to them?”, asked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged. “They were getting older, so they went home. That was around the time of the last big earthquake here, when there were all the repairs that needed to be done. They left it to dad: I think they thought he would sell it and take the money, start somewhere new. Maybe go back to school. But he’s stubborn.” He rubbed at the back of his head. “He was determined to keep this place going.”</p><p> </p><p>He went to set the photos down. “I’ll keep these and show them to- oh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh?”, Hinata and Watari echoed at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>Rather than answering, Shigeru dug the photos back out from the box, set on them on the floor by his knees, and pointed inside of it.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, right at the bottom, was a book.</p><p> </p><p>Etched on the front in neat handwriting was: ‘<em>The Journal of Oikawa Tooru. Do not read.</em>’</p><p> </p><p>And, underneath that; ‘<em>Hajime</em><em>, that means you, too.</em>’</p><p> </p><p>“A diary?”, Hinata asked, scrunching up his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“A journal”, Shigeru corrected, lifting it out and giving it a shake.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could smell the thing: It was not dusty, but a rather moist and mossy smell clung to it.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru flicked to the first page, shuffling back from both Hinata and Watari so that they could not see what was written there. Both of their heads swiveled to follow him as he scooted away.</p><p> </p><p>“What does it say?”, Hinata asked, bouncing on his knees.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s… It’s from when dad first came to the island!”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we shouldn’t read it”, Watari said. He was fidgeting nervously with his hands.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru’s head snapped up to glare at Watari. “You’re kidding, right? Dad never tells me anything about himself. If this is from twenty years ago… It’s my chance to learn about where he comes from. Where I come from. I’m reading it”, he finished decisively.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced over his shoulder. “But not here. Let’s go outside.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure we should be doing this?”, Watari asked for the fourth time since they had left the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, it’ll be fun”, Shigeru hushed him, taking the last few steps off of the grassy knoll and onto the sand of the bay.</p><p> </p><p>Watching the waves rolling in, Hinata couldn’t deny that he too felt a sense of trepidation about this. He wasn’t quite sure why; but, from the way Shigeru and the others constantly spoke about Oikawa, he got the sense that his landlord had a lot of secrets simmering under the surface.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru took a seat on the sand at the base of the hill, several feet from the court. Hinata sat on one side of him, and Watari dropped to his knees on the other side. Although it wasn’t exactly hot outside, it was warm, and the breeze coming in across the sea that flapped at the pages of the journal was pleasant.</p><p><br/>“But what if you don’t like what you hear?”, Watari continued his questioning. “Or what if it doesn’t really say anything?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru opened up the first page. “There’s only one way to find out.”</p><p> </p><p>After several seconds of silence, Hinata watched as Shigeru’s face fell from excitement to disappointment.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, he asked, shaking at Shigeru’s shoulder. He hadn’t realized his hand had traveled up to it. “Shigeru?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s all about volleyball”, Shigeru muttered, his voice laced with annoyance. Watari began to laugh as he continued. “And not even games he played or anything. Just… Analysing opponents, that kind of thing.” He flipped through the pages. “Come on, dad, where’s the good stuff?”</p><p> </p><p>Laid back on the sand, clutching his sides as he laughed, Watari called; “Typical Oikawa. And what exactly is the 'good stuff', Shigeru?”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I read it?”, Hinata demanded. To him, that was the ‘good stuff’. Any kind of volleyball analysis Oikawa had to offer was sure to be interesting, even if Hinata didn’t know the people he was writing about.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait!” Shigeru waved one hand at him. He was hunched over, the journal balanced between his knees and his nose all but buried in the book. “A-ha!”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Watari sat bolt upright, gripping at his friend’s elbow. “What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“What does it say, Shigeru?”, Hinata asked, mildly curious and half-hoping it would be something else volleyball-related.</p><p> </p><p>“Get off me.” Shigeru shook Watari off. “And listen to this.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, he began to read:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I am writing this on the ferry. It finally happened. I told mom and dad that I intend to live life as a man, and they were- of course- not happy. I knew they wouldn’t be. They weren’t even that angry that first time I cut off all of my hair. They locked me in my room, and told me I wouldn’t be allowed out until I ‘stopped being silly’. So I made a decision: I’m running away, and I’m never going back. I’ve decided to go to that island, the one not too far from Tokyo, from the stories. I feel like an adventurer: I climbed out of the window and took only what I would need most. Although, I do wonder whether I’ve made the right decision, leaving without saying goodbye. Not to mom or dad, of course, but to Terumi. She will be upset, but then she was lucky. She went off to college before all of this really kicked off. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Iwaizumi, either, but I know I’ll see him again, so I’m not upset about leaving him: I trust him to come to find me. I’ll leave it a safe amount of time, perhaps a few weeks, and then write to let him know I’m okay. Before he goes off to America to study, obviously. I trust him not to tell my parents. If only it weren’t for my knee, I would have been able to take that scholarship. But there’s no point dwelling on the past now, when I have the whole future ahead of me. It’s strange; I’ve never felt so free and I’m not upset, but I can’t stop crying.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru cleared his throat, and Hinata felt as though he had suddenly snapped back to reality, the sounds of the beach closer in his ears than before.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah”, said Watari.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Poor dad.” Shigeru hummed. He stared out across the sand for a moment, watching the waves as though imaging his father's voyage, and then he turned the page. “There’s more.”</p><p> </p><p>He continued:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Well, I’m all set up in this sweet little Western-style villa. I was in town at the tourist centre, looking for a hostel, when two guys about my age came in and told me they did Summer work at the villa, and that it was a cheap place to stay. Villa Buena Vista, it's called, although most people refer to it as 'The Villa', or 'José's Villa'. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were the guys' names. They’re a funny pair. The guy who works in the tourist center- some blond guy with a bunch of piercings, he looked like a criminal- told me that they’ve been poaching all of the tourists that came in looking for somewhere to stay. The two of them drove me through this forest, away from the town, and right up into the hills, along the cliffs. For a little while, I thought they were taking me to the woods to kill me.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru paused to laugh, and then he carried on.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Luckily, their offer was genuine. They took me to a villa, run by a nice couple: José and his wife, Sofía. José is a very interesting man; Argentinian, and quite liberal- although that is to be expected of someone from the Americas- although he is strict on certain things. I can tell he very much expects me to pull my weight around here. And I have to sleep in the outhouse since they’ve unexpectedly had a lot of guests arrive today, which I honestly don’t mind. I just find it interesting that he’s Argentinian, after Iwaizumi and I talked so much about traveling to that side of the world.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru cleared his throat again. “Then he just talks about the island.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I see?”, Hinata asked, and Shigeru passed the book over to him without comment.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was an imaginative writer, Hinata thought, as he skimmed over the next few pages. The island described there came to life before him, an island of a different time. It was somehow both busier and lazier; Oikawa had time to lay about in a hammock eating fruit that he and Hanamaki and Matsukawa and several other workers whose names were unfamiliar to Hinata took from the trees in a nearby orchard, while also showing around various guests, the vast majority of whom were Japanese. They roamed the coastlines and one of the other workers, a young man named Yuda that Oikawa described as being constantly close to tears, taught Oikawa about rowing and diving and snorkelling and surfing, along with all of the other activities they advertised at the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt a sense of envy gripping him: He would have very much enjoyed that kind of thing. Something caught his eye and he looked up to Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s writing about Iwaizumi again, I think. About when he came to visit.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru reached one hand out and Hinata handed the book over to him.</p><p> </p><p>Unprompted, Shigeru began to read, his voice steady and slow:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>He’s here! Iwa-chan is here! As soon as he arrived, I felt happier than I have been since I came here. It was stupid of me to write to him before: His parents intercepted the letter and told my parents. But then, if it brought him here, I guess it is a good thing. He always needed a little prompting with these things. Anyway, they’re furious, of course. Supposedly they asked him to come and speak to me and convince me to come home, since they thought I might listen to him. Even when we were kids, they always said we would get married one day. Iwaizumi said that’s not why he came, though. He said he didn’t care what my parents wanted, but he did want me to think things through about running away to the island, and to consider my other options. Maybe he’s right. That’s why I-</em>”</p><p> </p><p>He stopped, frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s why I what?”, Hinata demanded, leaning over Shigeru to see the page.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s all it says.”</p><p> </p><p>It was true; the rest of the page was blank.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what’s next?”, Watari asked from Shigeru’s other side.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru turned the page and resumed reading.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What a week it’s been! Iwaizumi and I have been out exploring the island, by land and by sea, so I haven’t had much time to write. Hanamaki and Matsukawa have taken to him instantly, of course, as well as Tobio and the rest of those guys. Privately I think maybe they like him more than me. I’m a little jealous, honestly. I’ve always been good at making friends, while Iwaizumi tends to be a bit shy and follows my lead. He’s reading over my shoulder and shaking his head now. Stop it. When we do make friends, though, he often becomes closer to them. It’s always been that way: Iwa-chan is very reliable. I’m sitting on the other side of the outhouse now, and Iwaizumi is asking me what I’m writing. I don’t want to tell him, but I think I love him.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>They each exchanged excited looks before Shigeru turned the page and continued.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I’m never going home. I don’t need to; I have everything right here. Iwa and I went down to the bay this morning to practice volleyball, although he’s still worried about my leg. We talked about the future, and about America. He asked me if I thought he should go, so I told him, of course, he should, but that I would probably miss him forever. He said he wanted to stay with me, and he kissed me. Then he laughed at me when I got upset. Then he kissed me some more.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru's fingers fumbled as he flipped another page.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I feel as though I’m living in a dream. Last night we went out to the bar, and we danced for hours, with Kuroo and Bokuto and all of their friends, too. Then, when Iwaizumi and I came back to the outhouse, we fell into bed and…</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked, startled at the mention of Bokuto and Kuroo's names. He hadn't realized that they had been around for that long at the bar.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of Watari asking, "And?", had him turning his head and tuning back in to the conversation.</p><p> </p><p>“It just trails away”, whispered Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, look.” Watari pointed his finger, tracing over the indents in the pages. “It says ‘<em>dot, dot, dot</em>’. We all know what that means, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He stared at the others, and Hinata saw the dawning look of understanding on Shigeru’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait.” Shigeru swallowed, and his hands began to shake slightly. “Do you guys think that Iwa- Do you think he could really be my father?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe!” Watari nodded.</p><p> </p><p>It would be nice, Hinata supposed, that at least it would be someone Oikawa had clearly loved. A sense of foreboding began to well up inside of him. They had been so happy, yet clearly something had to have gone wrong.</p><p> </p><p>On the next page, there were only two sentences:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Hajime says he wants to stay here with me. I don’t really care so much about the here part, as long as we stay together.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Frowning, Shigeru again turned the page.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>He’s gone. When I woke up this morning, he was gone. No note, no message. Nothing. José said he asked someone to give him a ride to the docks early this morning, while I was still sleeping.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Ah. There it was. Hinata felt as though he had been punched in the gut.</p><p> </p><p>“Iwaizumi just… Left?”, he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was also staring at the pages in shock. “No. That can’t be it…”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, maybe that’s why Oikawa doesn’t like talking about it”, Watari murmured. “It sounds like Iwaizumi broke his heart.”</p><p> </p><p>The next few pages were blank, but as Shigeru leafed through them, he stopped as more writing became visible.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I keep thinking he will come back but, in my heart, I know he won’t</em>”, he read, his voice thin and reedy. “<em>I think I really am going to miss him forever. How could he have done this to me? After everything we went through? I thought we understood each other. But my Iwa-chan would never have done this to me.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Yet again, there were more blank pages. Shigeru turned them almost frantically, hands still shaking, and this time he skipped straight past the first page that had black ink marking it, pausing and turning back to read that one.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I think I made a mistake. I slept with Ushiwaka We were both drunk. I knew how he felt about me and that he had been trying to keep a respectful distance, but I was upset and he was trying to comfort me and…</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“And?”, Hinata asked, cocking his head in confusion. Who was this Ushiwaka and where had he come from all of a sudden?</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shook his head. His eyes were troubled. “It stops there, again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait. Hinata. Shigeru.” Watari reached over to grip both of their arms. “It… It says ‘<em>dot, dot, dot</em>’ again.”</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t think-?”, Hinata began, and Watari’s answering smirk had them both guffawing.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru sniffed at them both. “I don’t think it’s funny. My dad was emotionally vulnerable.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but… You have to admit, it’s kind of funny to think of, knowing Oikawa now”, Watari chortled. “Like, really? Another one?” He sat bolt upright. “Wait, doesn’t this make things a little more confusing? This guy could be your dad, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring Watari, and with a sharp shrug of his shoulders, Shigeru went back to reading:</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Makki and Matsun keep making fun of me, but I don’t really care. Who says I can’t have fun if I want to? They keep bringing up Iwaizumi, but that’s in the past now. I think I’m actually maybe trying to spite them a little, when I’ve been flirting with Tobio these last couple of days. Them and Ushiwaka, since he’s Tobio’s teammate. And Iwaizumi, too, but he’s not here. Anyway, I invited Tobio over last night. We talked for a while, and then…</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Dot, dot, dot!</em>”, Watari cried victoriously, throwing his hands into the air.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop it”, Shigeru hissed, but this time Hinata could see that he was struggling to suppress his own smile. “It’s really not funny.”</p><p> </p><p>“Teammate? Ooh, do you think Oikawa was using his knowledge of sports to seduce people?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shinji, I’m serious, stop it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was unsure whether to laugh again or not; but, seeing Shigeru grin as he attempted to bat Watari away from him, he figured it was safe.</p><p> </p><p>When they had settled down, Shigeru turned the page once more.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>That’s it. I can’t believe the nerve of Tobio.</em>” He paused, frowning. “Well, I’m not going to read this part, but… It sounds like this ‘Tobio’ is a real jerk. Or, was a real jerk.” He cleared his throat, his tone turning affected once more. “<em>I’m done with him and with men in general: I should have listened to Makki and Matsun. From now on, José is the only man I need in my life.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, so-”, Watari started, however he was abruptly cut off by Shigeru slamming the journal shut.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s it. I’m not reading any more while you’re here. Anyway, I'm fairly certain he was joking.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aww, come on.”</p><p> </p><p>“No. I’m keeping it and reading the rest later.” With that, Shigeru tucked it under his jacket.</p><p> </p><p>They sat in silence for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, that was… Interesting”, Hinata said slowly.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if I’ll be able to look at Oikawa the same way again”, Watari agreed. He turned his head to face Shigeru. “Do you really think one of them could be your dad?”</p><p> </p><p>“But which one would it be?”, asked Hinata. “Can you maybe try and work it out from the dates?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged, picking at the sleeve on his jacket. “I could try, but… Without a DNA test, I suppose there’s no way to know for sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe you should try talking to your dad about it?”</p><p> </p><p>At Hinata’s suggestion, Shigeru sat up on his knees, his face panicked and intense.</p><p> </p><p>“No. No, no, no.” He waved his arms in front of him. “He can’t know I’ve found this. It’ll only upset him. Please, promise me you won’t tell him.”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise”, Watari said, almost immediately, and after a moment of silence, they both turned to the older man.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed. “I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The silence dragged on as Hinata folded his arms in front of himself.</p><p> </p><p>“So…”, he said eventually. “It’s a shame that Yachi isn’t here today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm”, Yamaguchi hummed, apparently in agreement, although he didn’t break eye contact with Kenma. It was unnerving.</p><p> </p><p>If anything, Hinata would have guessed that Yamaguchi was rather intimidated. He had barely spoken since Hinata waved him over to join the table that he and Kenma were sharing in the café.</p><p> </p><p>“I think she said something about doing her other job.” Kenma spoke quickly, blinking as his pupils darted away from Yamaguchi’s intense stare.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, Hinata considered that Kenma may also be a little shy.</p><p> </p><p>In an attempt to get the conversation rolling, Hinata said; “Well, at least you were able to join us, Yamaguchi. It feels so long since I’ve seen you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Shimada has been trying to keep me busy.” He picked at his salad. “How’s your project going, Kenma?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma briefly looked up at Yamaguchi, then to Hinata, and then back out the windows at the sunny afternoon. “I’m not sure if this island has what we’re looking for. We may go elsewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if a big business came here, it could create a bunch of jobs for us. More people coming over to the island would certainly help with tourism.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma merely eyed him without speaking for a moment. After taking a careful bite of his sandwich, he said; “I’m going to have to go back and see what my colleagues think. I may have to come back again, before we decide for sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well if you do, you know where to find me”, Hinata put in cheerily.</p><p> </p><p>Silence descended once more as they continued eating.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata found himself staring out of the window, watching people walking past: It was busy, on the beach. Even though there were fierce winds, the sun had come out and blazed down on those who stretched out on the beach sunbathing, and raced in and out of the waves.</p><p> </p><p>Couples walked past, some holding hands, others with tiny children darting about their feet, and Hinata again thought of Oikawa and the journal, and found himself feeling a pang of loneliness in his stomach. It wasn’t necessarily that he wanted those things: Simply a desire to experience what others had experienced. He swallowed it down quickly.</p><p> </p><p>A glint of silver caught his eye, and he realized it was a ring shining in the light, caught between two joint hands.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani and Shigeru were walking past together.</p><p> </p><p>A few people were giving them strange looks.</p><p> </p><p>Standing, Hinata brushed the crumbs from his clothes. Both Yamaguchi and Kenma looked up at him, their faces questioning.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, guys, I think I need to run…”</p><p> </p><p>Without further explanation, he left, glancing back once over his shoulder to see Kenma and Yamaguchi giving each other wide-eyed, silent looks. He hoped that they would be okay.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, he cried, feet pounding on the concrete of the promenade as he rushed to catch up.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata!” Shigeru twisted out of Kyoutani’s grasp to wave.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani said; “Hello.” He wasn’t smiling, but he certainly wasn’t glaring.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata figured that it was at least a step above the grunts he used to get; and this time Kyoutani actually made eye contact with him.</p><p> </p><p>“How was the venue?”, Hinata asked as he fell into step beside them.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it was stunning”, Shigeru beamed, and tugged at his fiancé’s hand promptingly. “Right, Kentarou?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was nice”, Kyoutani conceded.</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t very traditional, but I don’t think we’re really aiming for tradition.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata asked; “Where was it?”</p><p> </p><p>“On a tall cliff, right around the other side of the island.” Shigeru’s head wheeled around, eyes shining. “Ooh, imagine it at sunset!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow!”, Hinata enthused. Amber light spilling across the sea and splashing over the cliffs was something that had now become familiar to him: A fitting backdrop for a wedding.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you’re staying, Hinata”, Kyoutani commented. “Shigeru listens to you, maybe you can help me talk him out of some of his ideas.”</p><p> </p><p>Not used to Kyoutani making jokes, Hinata found himself bursting into peals of laughter, even though the statement itself hadn’t been that comical. He couldn’t help continuing even when Shigeru himself laughed at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I can try”, he said when he had stopped laughing, wiping briefly at his eyes. He turned to Shigeru. “Hey, have you read any more of the journal yet?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru turned to him with wide eyes, shaking his head minutely.</p><p> </p><p>The look did not go unnoticed by Kyoutani, who frowned. “What journal?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it’s nothing”, Shigeru blurted out, waving his hands in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani turned to him, and said accusingly; “No, he said something about a journal.” The expression on his face was perplexed, perhaps even a little hurt, his features scrunching up as he looked between his fiancé and Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s really nothing”, Shigeru assured him hurriedly. “Just… A surprise. To do with the wedding.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shigeru…”</p><p> </p><p>Figuring that he should maybe step in, Hinata said; “It’s fine, really, Kyoutani. I’m helping him with it.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani still seemed uncertain, yet he must have been satisfied because he dropped the subject. As they continued walking, Shigeru threw a relieved look back over his shoulder at Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled back at him, attempting to hide his confusion.</p><p> </p><p>He knew Shigeru didn’t want to tell Oikawa, but why wouldn’t he want Kyoutani to know about the journal?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata really hoped that this wasn't something that was going to give him another stomachache.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had Honey, Honey playing continuously on a loop while writing this, just fyi.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Tora Is A Waiter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A heavy weight had settled on Hinata’s chest, and it only got worse the closer they got to the docks.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t sure why it felt so raw this time: He had been upset when Futakuchi and the others left but losing Kenma felt like losing an actual close friend. He had known Kenma longer than them, he supposed, so even though their friendship had been less intense, they had had more opportunities to simply relax together. The image of a shot being dropped into a glass versus a slowly steeped teabag entered his mind</p><p> </p><p>With each footstep, he glanced to his right. Kenma was looking down at his phone, not really paying attention.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was glad that Kenma didn’t have many bags and had been happy to carry them himself, although it was mildly alarming that over half of his luggage space consisted of video games. Hinata had finally worked up the energy to go jogging that morning and had found the steep hills particularly challenging. Even now, on their gentle stroll along the promenade, his knees were twinging.</p><p> </p><p>As they walked in the early afternoon sunshine, Hinata saw that they were passing the same glass-fronted ice cream parlor that he, Bokuto and Yachi had visited previously.</p><p> </p><p>He stared into the glass, and did a double-take.</p><p> </p><p>There was no mistaking that hair.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto was standing at the counter, peering down at the various flavors. Glancing at the tall dark-haired man beside him, it only took Hinata a couple of seconds to place him as Kuroo.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo caught his eye through the window and nudged Bokuto, who turned swiftly on his heel.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused to wave enthusiastically at them before he caught the eye of the man behind the counter. It was the guy with the scary face that he had seen before. He swiftly dropped his hand.</p><p> </p><p>Unaware of the tombstone-like face over his shoulder, Bokuto waved back happily. Kuroo gave a more relaxed nod, ducking his head and sticking his hands in his pockets. If he were a teenager, he might have looked cool. As a grown man, it just looked awkward.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma was staring up at Hinata. He glanced over at the ice cream parlor, frowned slightly, and turned back to Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Just some friends of mine”, Hinata said by way of explanation. He nearly suggested joining them and would have if not for the scary man.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced at his watch: A lightweight, slightly battered thing from Brazil that still told the wrong time, so that he had to perform mental gymnastics for a few seconds to recall the actual time. There were only ten minutes left before the ferry was scheduled to depart, so they wouldn't have had the time anyway. They had to get going.</p><p> </p><p>With one final wave at Bokuto and Kuroo, Hinata double-checked; “You definitely have everything?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you worried about me, Shouyou?” Kenma smiled a little as they resumed walking. “I should be the one worrying about you, leaving you here. This is a strange place. It feels like an alternate universe.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shrugged. They were just coming up to the docks, passing by Yachi’s café. “I’ve got my friends, I’ll be fine. You’ll definitely be coming back though, right?”</p><p> </p><p>When they drew to a stop the boat was already waiting, and Kenma was still smiling.</p><p> </p><p>The long-haired man looked up at Hinata through half-closed eyes. “We’ll see.”</p><p> </p><p>“Remember, the outhouse is always open.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a rattling of chains over by the ferry and Kenma’s hand clenched on his rucksack. Hinata hugged him, squeezing tight. Kenma's hair tickled his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“And stay in touch, okay?” It was easier to say it sincerely, easier to be sentimental when there was only one person compared to a whole group.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma sighed as they drew back. “I’d better get going. Thank you for everything you’ve done while I’ve been here, Shouyou. I really think you made this trip not awful.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata chuckled at that. Kenma filed onto the boat along with the other people gathered around, holidaymakers and people visiting family and friends and others on business, all merging into one crowd. Unlike Futakuchi and his friends, who stood by the window, Kenma immediately retreated inside. Hinata could just see his blond hair through one of the windows, where he sat on a bench with his head bowed over what Hinata assumed was his phone.</p><p> </p><p>The boat turned in the shallows before chugging off into the horizon, trails of white splaying out behind it. Seagulls swooped to land in the trail, a decent distance from the ferry.</p><p> </p><p>A hand clapped down on his shoulder and he jumped. Behind him, Bokuto was licking his ice cream, some of which had ended up around his mouth, and smiling sharply. Kuroo, beside Bokuto, was already crunching on his cone.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto. Kuroo. Hey”, he said, slightly surprised that they had followed him over yet pleased that they had done so.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi!”, Bokuto greeted.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo was frowning at the increasingly-smaller silhouette of the retreating boat on the waves. “Who was that?” He seemed a little irritated, Hinata thought, although he was not quite sure why.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, that was Kenma”, he answered. “He’s my friend, he was just here on business.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo snorted. “So, a tourist. Good riddance.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto shuffled his feet and scratched at his neck, appearing suddenly uncomfortable.</p><p> </p><p>“He said he might come back though”, Hinata murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh.” Kuroo was still staring out over the water.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto glanced uncertainly between the two of them before announcing; “We were both off work today so we decided to come and get ice cream. Do you want one, too, Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>A somber, murderous face flashed through Hinata’s mind. “No, thank you, Bokuto. Are you guys up to much else?” Maybe he could ask them to come and play volleyball with him? Kuroo would be a decent spiker or blocker perhaps; he had the height. Although, Hinata thought as he squinted up at him, he was unsure how much extra height the man's hair was giving him.</p><p> </p><p>It would be good if they could: Shigeru and the others had been too busy the past couple of days, whereas Kenma hadn’t seemed all that interested. The only ones he had managed to drag down to the court with him had been Hanamaki and Matsukawa, two days ago, who had seemed more interested in tackling each other than actually playing; and Oikawa, who had joined him briefly the morning before to practice some serves before dashing off to deal with a complaint from a guest- something to do with a mattress smelling vaguely of vomit.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we were just going to head home now.” Kuroo shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata opened his mouth to suggest a game of volleyball, only for Bokuto to yelp; “Hinata, you should join us! I know where you live, so you should really know where I live too, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh!” A chance to visit Bokuto’s house could be fun. He tried to imagine what it would be like and couldn’t come up with a clear picture: For some reason, all that entered his head was an image of a bird’s nest. “Sure.” He and Kuroo swapped amused looks. “If that’s okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’d be happy to have you, shrimpy.” Kuroo smirked. “Or can I not call you that since, you know, former professional athlete and all?”</p><p> </p><p>“You shouldn’t be calling anyone that at all, you’re an adult”, Hinata said, but he couldn’t help poking Kuroo in the side as he spoke and, even as he darted to Bokuto’s other side to get away, Kuroo gave him a good-natured grin.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The further they went from the main streets of the town, the less life- people, animals, and plants alike- Hinata saw. By the time Bokuto and Kuroo turned down a narrow street and off from the larger paved road they had been following, they hadn’t seen another soul for five minutes, and the streets were lined with houses that sat so close together they seemed almost to be falling on top of each other.</p><p> </p><p>Their house was not very wide yet quite tall, and traditional in the sense that it did not look designed to last: In contrast to the metal and stone buildings in the more modern area of town, this structure was largely wooden. While it was nowhere near as ramshackle as Hinata’s abode, it certainly wasn’t about to win any prizes- nor pass any health certifications.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re home”, Kuroo called as he swung the front door open, and Hinata was surprised when a dim chorus of "Welcome home", chimed back.</p><p> </p><p>Stepping inside, the air was slightly stale, although a faint fragrant aroma was drifting throughout the house that had Hinata’s mouth watering.</p><p> </p><p>Yaku and Kai were both sitting on the couch in a room just inside to the left, idly watching the TV. The volume was on so low it was merely an insect-esque buzzing noise. It was dark and cool in the room: There were shutters over the windows.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Yaku perked up when he spotted Hinata, shuffling to sit upright rather than lounging back as he had been previously. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata Shouyou”, Hinata announced himself.</p><p> </p><p>Yaku gave an amused smile. “That was it. Hi, Hinata. What brings you here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wanted to show him our place”, said Bokuto, strolling in to collapse onto a beanbag on the other side of the couch.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata asked; “Do you live here, too, Yaku?” The idea was strange to him, although he couldn't imagine any other reason for the short man to be there. Sure he had seen them as co-workers, but for some reason, he couldn’t picture them as roommates.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep. Someone has to keep an eye on these guys.” He folded his arms across his chest.</p><p> </p><p>Kai was fighting a smile. “You know, as much as you complain about them, you always stick with them.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku didn’t answer him.</p><p> </p><p>“You can sit down if you want, Hinata”, Kuroo teased as he joined Yaku on the couch, elbowing him slightly.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked about the room, unsure. It was fairly small, and there was only the couch and Bokuto’s beanbag, it appeared. He wondered dimly whether he should just sit on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>As he deliberated, a voice called from another room; “Are Kuroo and Bokuto back?”</p><p> </p><p>A head appeared in a doorway at the back of the room, behind the couch, and for some reason, Hinata was able to instantly place him, probably because of his odd haircut- shaved on each side and bleached in the middle- as the waiter that had gotten mad at Koganegawa that one night. He was also dressed similarly to what Hinata remembered him wearing, with an apron over a button-up shirt and slacks.</p><p> </p><p>He must not have recalled meeting Hinata previously, for he came in to introduce himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I’m Yamamoto Taketora”, he said, reaching out to shake Hinata’s hand. “But you can just call me Tora, all of my friends do.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took it and shook it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tora used to live here too”, said Kuroo. “But then he realized it’s kind of sad for a bunch of adult men to live together.”</p><p> </p><p>“You realize you’re insulting yourself there, right?”, Yaku asked, at the same time as Yamamoto protested; “That’s not why I moved out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry, his little sister needed him.”</p><p> </p><p>“She moved here last year”, explained Yamamoto. A proud smile lit up his face. “She works for the local paper. You know that cultural festival thing coming up in the Summer? She’s doing a whole bunch of stuff for that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. So you don’t live here?”, Hinata muttered. He was struggling to keep up with the number of people in the house.</p><p> </p><p>“I used to. Bokuto was my replacement.”</p><p> </p><p>Kai smiled. “He was one of the originals, back when this place was a party house.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku scoffed; “It was never a party house.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not when you were home, it wasn’t”, Kuroo said, and Yaku scoffed once again in his direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Party house?” Hinata tilted his head.</p><p> </p><p>Kai looked over at him, stretching one arm on the back of the couch behind Yaku as he did so. “It wasn’t really. It was just the four of us.” He indicated to where Yamamoto stood with his other hand, and to the three of them seated on the couch. “Tora and I knew each other through work, and Yaku had just moved here to work at the plant. And we somehow ended up at this place together.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo was smirking which, Hinata realized, seemed almost to be his natural state. “And Bokuto only moved in because his other friends kicked him out.”</p><p> </p><p>“They didn’t!”, the park ranger objected.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, no, Yukie knew I was moving out so she told Bokuto to get in touch”, said Yamamoto. “I think she felt bad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows why?”, Kuroo mused.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest. “Because Yukie is one of my best friends and she loves me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Doesn’t love you as much as her girlfriend, though, or she wouldn’t have left you lot to fend for yourselves.”</p><p> </p><p>Turning his back on Kuroo, Bokuto said; “Hinata, come sit with me." He shuffled over to make room. Once Hinata had sat down, balancing precariously by his side- Hinata had never been so thankful for his strong thighs before- he continued; "You’ve met Yukie. She works at the park with me, but in the evenings she works as a chef at the same place Tora and Kai work at.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo nodded. “Tora is a waiter and Kai… Does something.” That earned him a swift punch on the shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Hinata was still struggling to keep a track of all of the names. A moment later, it hit him; where he had seen the red-haired woman in the wildlife park before. It had been the same woman he saw with Yamamoto that night in the alley behind the restaurant. That must have been Yukie. The island must be even smaller than he had first thought: Either that, or it was just that their social circle had somehow penetrated every part of it.</p><p> </p><p>“I need to get back in the kitchen but”, Yamamoto wheeled about, “Kai, did you tell them the story about the new waiter?”</p><p> </p><p>That drew a rich, deep laugh, one that appeared to bubble up from deep within Kai’s chest and out of his lips. “Which story?”</p><p> </p><p>The standing man shook his head. “I don’t know. Any one. I’m convinced he’s an alien, he’s hysterical.” With that, he headed back into the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo raised one eyebrow. “New waiter?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ha, yeah.” Kai shook his head. “This new guy just started, you know, since Hyakuzawa left to go back to the mainland and Takeru finally passed his exams. He’s a little strange.”</p><p> </p><p>“Strange how?”, asked Hinata. A lot of the people here seemed somewhat strange to him: Anything that was odd to them was bound to be interesting.</p><p> </p><p>Kai stretched before elaborating. “Well, he said he has a lot of experience as a waiter, but today he walked into the kitchen and Yukie was cooking this one meal kind-of flambe style, you know, lots of flames. Anyway, this guy freaked out and set the sprinklers off. Went all over the guests. Yukie went mental at him.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku was frowning up at his friend. “You never know, the poor guy could have had some traumatic experience in the kitchen.”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, he could have done, but…” Grinning a placid grin, Kai shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>From the kitchen, Yamamoto called; “Nah, I think he’s just weird.” His face appeared through the doorway, slightly red in the cheeks. “Yesterday, I asked him how he was finding the job, and he looked me in the eyes and said he was just hoping not to die. I mean, I didn’t even fucking know how to respond to him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, Bokuto told us that you lived in Brazil for a while”, Yaku said, and Hinata started. They had spoken about him in the past? He glanced up at Bokuto, wondering where the conversation was headed. He relaxed slightly when the bartender continued; “Did you pick up any cooking skills from there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not so much. I was actually a waiter for a little while, too.” He smiled. “And a delivery driver. Just when I started out. Beach volleyball doesn’t pay so well when you’re just a nobody kid from Japan.”</p><p> </p><p>“Any stories?”, Kuroo asked.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused for a moment, trying to think of one. “A lot, probably, but not off the top of my head. Nothing like that. I was probably the weird one: I didn’t know anything when I first arrived. Not even the language. I was always trying to ask people things and they would just stare at me blankly because I said it wrong.” He chuckled. “I remember there were these two guys: Everyone called them the ‘Beer Brothers’. They were always coming in the restaurant that I worked at. They thought I was Chinese, and they would always yell things at me. I ended up playing against them in a tournament.”</p><p> </p><p>“Please tell me you won”, said Yaku.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah.” He smirked a little. “They were alright, in the end, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo snickered. “You’re too nice, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata met his gaze with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>The conversation drifted slightly, and Hinata found himself tuning in to the movie that was playing on the TV. It was comfortable in there: Warm with the heat coming through the kitchen door, and the steady pulse of chatter that rhythmically picked up and dropped off.</p><p> </p><p>He stayed until the end credits rolled, and before he departed they made him try Yamamoto's creation: A curry so hot that his eyes teared up and his nose ran.</p><p> </p><p>“This is so good”, he hummed as the spices danced over his tongue, and he wasn’t lying; it was intense yet flavourful, “thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto walked him to the door, and the sound of voices followed them out.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Yukie is the culinary expert, not me”, Yamamoto was saying, “but you pick up a few things being around the restaurant.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku’s voice demanded; “Kai, how come you never cook for us?”</p><p> </p><p>And then Kai responded, “I have no clue what Tora was talking about: Two years of working there and I could still set fire to a salad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Excuses, excuses”, Kuroo muttered.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed as the bickering started up, turning to the man who had invited him there in the first place. “Thank you, Bokuto.”</p><p> </p><p>He hoped that Bokuto knew he meant for the company, and for the warm welcome they had all given him.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a good evening, Hinata!”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto didn’t stop waving until Hinata was right at the end of the road and turning the corner.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The sight of somebody slumped against the side of a building had Hinata pausing in his tracks as he crossed the courtyard on his way back to the outhouse. By then, the sun had bowed low in the sky, and so he could hardly make the figure out, as shrouded as they were in shade.</p><p> </p><p>It was only when he got closer that he recognized Oikawa. His landlord was leaning back with his eyes closed, the heels of his shoes digging furrows in the grass in front of him, a bottle of beer in one hand.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly worried, Hinata asked; “Oikawa? Are you… Alone out here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Oikawa blinked open his eyes and squinted up at Hinata. “Oh, hi, Shouyou. I’m not drinking alone if that’s what you’re worried about.” He chuckled, and Hinata felt his face warming: Oikawa had been accurate in guessing just what he was thinking. “Makki and Matsun were with me, until about, hmm... Twenty minutes ago, but they went home and took the rest of the beer with them. I was just going to sit here for a little longer and finish this before I went inside.” He yawned, stretching, then cocked his head. “Want to join me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” He had nowhere else he needed to be.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sank down onto his haunches. If they moved just a few meters to the right they would be able to see the sunset; but in this cranny of the building, it was obscured to them, and all Hinata could see was the trees ahead and the edge of the cliff to one side, ghostly cold fingers of light splashing across it, just out of reach. The ground felt clammy and damp beneath his fingers as he lowered himself: This corner clearly did not receive much sunlight throughout the door, blocked in as it was by the stone walls around it.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced to his left, at Oikawa. Ever since he, Shigeru and Watari had read the diary, he had been wondering about whether Shigeru had mentioned it to his father; although Hinata was not about to ask. Oikawa certainly hadn't said anything about it. Hinata wondered whether what was inside had changed his perception of Oikawa, and after a moment he decided that it had: He was all the more curious now, to find out more about Oikawa's failed volleyball career. He professed to love it, yet he had turned his back on it so abruptly. Of course, Hinata knew he would not understand what it was like to have a child, or experience an injury as Oikawa had, yet he couldn't help feeling that if he had been that committed, he wouldn't have turned away from it so completely without reason.</p><p> </p><p>“You know”, Oikawa sighed after a moment, “I love having Makki and Matsun around, but it’s also nice having somebody around who’s as passionate about volleyball as I am.”</p><p> </p><p>“Want to have a match?”, Hinata asked, waggling his eyebrows.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa raised his bottle. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea right now. But maybe one morning this week.”</p><p> </p><p>“We can drag Hanamaki and Matsukawa into it?” Maybe they would be more serious if it was similar to an actual game. “Or Shigeru and Kyoutani? They were actually quite good when I played with them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Were they?” Oikawa pursed his lips in amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. Shigeru enjoys setting, like you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course. Those two, together… So similar.” Stopping abruptly, Oikawa shuffled back slightly to lean his head against the wall behind them. “I do feel bad for never teaching Shigeru to play, as a child. But then it all felt too recent, my injury… Besides, there are no proper teams on the island. He wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere with it.”</p><p> </p><p>“You never know”, said Hinata. “I was a late bloomer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed. “Ahuh. I sucked as a kid. My school never had a proper team, so I mostly tried to convince my friends who played other sports to practice with me.” He saw that Oikawa was watching him with amusement. “Well, my high school had a team, but they weren’t so good either.”</p><p> </p><p>He had had a lot of fun with them, he remembered. They had been close. However, a lot of the time it had felt like he was the only one who had wanted to go further, and each loss had stung bitterly; whereas the others would shake it off quickly and go get food to commiserate, he would spend hours just trying to improve. His decision to go to Brazil after graduation to train had come fairly easily to him, and he had lost touch with most of his old team after a few years.</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t have imagined”, said Oikawa, kindly. His tone shifted as he continued. “My school was a powerhouse.” He smirked slightly as he said it, and Hinata imagined how proud he must have been of that fact, how he must have taunted his opponents. His face faltered slightly when he looked at Hinata. “I’m assuming that you’ve heard from someone around that I am trans. Partly because of that, we are a perennial source of scandals according to certain parts of town.”</p><p> </p><p>At this non-sequitur, the sudden shift away from volleyball, Hinata looked at him anxiously. Yet Oikawa was still smiling, dim light reflecting off of his eyes and teeth.</p><p> </p><p>“I would offer you a beer but this is the last one. Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine”, Hinata waved him away. “But yes, I heard.” He was about to say that Shigeru had told him but held it down, unsure if he should.</p><p> </p><p>“I used to practice with the men’s team. I had friends on the team, and the coach liked me. They wouldn’t let me play in games with them, though. Volleyball was what I always wanted to do, but a lot of the time it felt like pushing a boulder up a mountain.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that part of why you came here? Because- I have a friend who came here for similar reasons, to… Well, start again…” He felt slightly guilty bringing up what Yachi had told him, but then it wasn’t as though he was saying anything negative about her.</p><p> </p><p>He was surprised when Oikawa grinned and said; “Young Miss Yachi, yes?” Hinata did not answer, and he seemed to take that as an affirmation. “She’s really been coming out of her shell lately. It’s nice to see. Still such a nervous girl, though. Why? Are you thinking about your own reasons for being here?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little. And I was curious.” Hinata shrugged. “I don’t really know that much about you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not many people do.” Oikawa held the bottle out to Hinata, raised his eyebrows, and after a moment Hinata took it and drank. It was not very strong; but then Oikawa did not seem very drunk, merely tipsy. “About me, hm.” He pretended to think, and when he spoke his tone was light yet clinical. “Looking back on my life as a whole, I don’t think I’ve done what I expected to do. I expected to be exceptional, but then I realized that it’s something you have to work toward. I tried my hardest, but I don’t think I’ve always been a very good person. I did my best with Shigeru, and I just hope he knows what he’s getting into. Still… I wanted a better life for him than this.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata passed the bottle back to him after wiping the lip on his sleeve. “I don’t know. I think this is pretty nice.” He swept one hand in front of them, indicating what was visible of the cliffside. Far off in the distance, electric lights were starting to flicker into sight along the line where the earth met the sea. When Hinata blinked, they seemed to stretch right up into the dusky sky.</p><p> </p><p>“See, you have the comfort of comparison with everywhere else you’ve been.” Oikawa too threw his arms wide, as though examining the world beneath his fingertips. Luckily none of the beer spilled: Too much of it had already been drunk, so what was still in the glass container did not manage to reach high enough to splash out. “Shigeru never had the choice of settling here.”</p><p> </p><p>They went quiet for a while. Hinata watched the lights glowing into existence before them, the pink hue of the sky sapping of color, first turning to white and then fading out black.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s embarrassing to admit it now”, said Oikawa, “but I’d actually heard a lot about you before.”</p><p> </p><p>“About me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. Mostly volleyball-related. And I’d heard the rumors about you being gay. That was one of the reasons I invited you here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shot him a look that must have been humorous, for it set Oikawa off giggling.</p><p> </p><p>He waved his hands at Hinata. “No, no, not like that. I just… I don’t know, I sort of liked that you didn’t let anyone tell you that you couldn’t do anything. It must have been tough with your height, as well. But you never let it stop you. I was curious about meeting you.” He considered. “I suppose that is why I came here, then… It was different, back in those days, this place. It was run by this Argentinian couple. José and Sofía.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t want to say that he had seen their faces, etched in inky lines, so he remained silent.</p><p> </p><p>“I was nervous when I met them. I thought that maybe they would struggle to understand my identity, but they didn’t. They could be insensitive sometimes, calling me pretty and the pregnant man, but they never tried to change who I was, and they listened when I told them I didn’t like something. They were curious, if a little confused, rather than hateful or hurtful. I never understood how they could accept me when my own family wouldn’t. They were an older generation, too.” Oikawa’s tone was still light, musing.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think age really matters so much. Anyone can be accepting.” Hinata swallowed. “My mother was always sort of blasé about me coming out. She was so sure I would eventually get married and have kids. I think she still thinks that, maybe, in the back of her mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa held the bottle out once more. “Here.” Hinata took it. “Family, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Family”, Hinata agreed. He asked; “Did you ever hear from yours, again?” He wanted to ask if Oikawa had ever heard from Iwaizaumi; if he perhaps knew who Shigeru’s father was. But he kept his mouth shut.</p><p> </p><p>“No.” The brunet screwed his eyes shut as he shook his head, and then clumsily took the bottle when Hinata knocked it against his arm. “Not my parents. My sister- she has a son as well, I know that. I heard it from an old schoolmate of hers who happened to visit, several years ago. She didn’t know his name, or if my sister was happy, only that there’s a son.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata whispered; “I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well.” Oikawa finished his drink. “She was always the only one who was sympathetic to me. Sometimes I think I’ll find her. I probably could, now, if I wanted to. It would be easy in this day and age. But I don’t want to stir up memories of that past I left behind when I came here. And I’m afraid to find out that my parents are dead.”</p><p> </p><p>“After they just turned their backs on you?”</p><p> </p><p>Looking down at him miserably, Oikawa said; “I know I shouldn’t be, Shouyou, but… I’m so afraid that I will hear they’re dead, and it will upset me when I’ve tried not to think of them for so long.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought about it. “I understand. There would probably be a lot of complicated emotions around something like that.” Images flashed before his eyes: Meeting his mother and Natsu at the airport, their smiling faces, and the disappointment when he had told them, only weeks after, that he was leaving them again.</p><p> </p><p>“So, not right now”, Oikawa replied firmly. “After the wedding, maybe, I think I might look for her. I wouldn’t want to ruin anything for Shigeru.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure you never could, in his eyes.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa let out a shaky laugh. “Oh, you don’t know my son.” He wiped his face with one hand and then stood before turning and extending a hand to Hinata. “Come on, it’s getting dark and we’re only going to get sadder the longer we sit here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata reached up and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “I don’t know, I’m enjoying bemoaning our lives together.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great. Well, we can set Wednesday evenings aside. Shouyou and Tooru get together to cry.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smirked. “I’ll pencil it in my diary.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa threw his head back to laugh and looped a friendly arm over Hinata’s shoulders as they walked away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And yet again Bokuto (and Kuroo) and Kenma just miss each other... Although I have a feeling that this won't be the last we see of him...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Fukunaga Is Our New Bartender</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun beat down overhead, and Hinata could almost hear the cheers of the crowd over the crashing waves as he sprinted across the sand, just in time to receive the ball. His opponent had been sneaky, sending it back toward him with a simple tap over the net stretched between them.</p><p> </p><p>He gave a sharp exhale as he dove, positioning his fists in just the right manner. The corded muscles in his arms jumped under his skin.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, it seemed his timing was slightly off: He managed to send the ball up, but his slight miscalculation meant that it clipped against the very top of the net and ricocheted back onto his side of the court.</p><p> </p><p>Sitting up, Hinata rested his hands on his knees and laughed, throwing his head back carefree. When his opponent approached, he squinted and smiled up at him; “That was a smart move. You’re getting good at this.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari echoed his laughter and put his hands on his hips, and as his face became visible to Hinata against the overwhelming brightness of the sun, the cheers faded from his mind. This wasn’t Brazil anymore: This was just the small bay down by the villa, and only he and Watari were present.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki and Matsukawa had been with them for a while, earlier, but had left to go back to work, citing the excuse of not wanting Oikawa to complain about them not pulling their weight. Hinata thought that perhaps they were really just a little tired.</p><p> </p><p>It had been a relaxed morning; the first one Hinata had had in a while. He had been showing around an elderly couple for the last few days who had wanted him to drive them down to the beach first thing in the morning every day, before the rain set in in the evening. It was fine; but it had been clear they hadn’t wanted him around, only as a taxi to and from the villa, so he spent a lot of time by himself down at the beach, walking and thinking, oddly without running into anybody that he knew asides from Yachi at the café. Thankfully, that couple had left the evening before.</p><p> </p><p>Drawing himself up to his feet, Hinata asked; “Ready for another round?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ready to lose again, old man?” Watari tilted his faded blue cap.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll teach you to respect your elders.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari took the ball this time; however, just as he was about to serve, moving slightly shakily on the sand, he stopped.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned, and immediately his gaze fixed on a waving figure, approaching them quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was rushing down the hillside, feet churning up clumps of wet turf. He looked distressed, his lips twisting when he made eye contact with Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Once Shigeru got close enough that he didn’t have to yell, Hinata called; “What’s wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just- Um.” Shigeru drew closer still, running one hand through his hair. He stopped a dozen feet from them on the sand, looking first at Hinata and then at Watari. “It’s cold out here. Can we talk in the outhouse?”</p><p> </p><p>Watari and Hinata exchanged a look. Watari was still holding onto the ball, Hinata noted, twirling it occasionally between his fingers. He shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>They trekked back up the cliffside together, cutting across the wet grass rather than making their way to the path, and inside the outhouse. The low clouds hanging outside had turned the atmosphere dark, and Hinata considered turning his lamps on but decided it was too early in the day. He made sure to carefully close the door behind them, jiggling it so that it was almost wedged shut.</p><p> </p><p>When he turned about, Shigeru and Watari were seated on the couch together. Watari still held the ball in his hands. Hinata moved to sit on Shigeru’s other side.</p><p> </p><p>“So?”, he prompted. “What did you want to talk about, Shigeru?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think I might have messed up”, the young man whispered, his eyes big and wet. A gust of wind rattled the broken shutters on the window and he jumped, glancing over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata briefly rested a steadying hand on his elbow. “What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“Spit it out, Shigeru”, Watari sighed, although his tone was light. “What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru covered his face with his hands, and Hinata took it as a good sign that he seemed more embarrassed and awkward than upset: It couldn’t be anything too serious if that were the case.</p><p> </p><p>He drew in a deep breath and said; “I’ve invited my potential father to my wedding. And they’ve replied to say they’re coming.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked. He had wondered about that, in his last few days of walking and thinking. About Shigeru’s desire to find his father, and the opportunity that seemed to have presented itself, if he were able to follow it up with Oikawa at all. He hadn’t wanted to press Shigeru for any further information, aware of what was becoming a habit of the young man to speak to Hinata when he had something that needed to be discussed. Once he needed to talk, Hinata knew Shigeru would come to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Which one?”, Watari croaked, breaking the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Moving his hands away from his face, Shigeru turned to his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>After a beat of silence, he swallowed and said; “All of them.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata and Watari shared another look, and Hinata tried to read the expression he was faced with: Thin eyebrows drew together, lips parted slightly, nose scrunched up.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru was leaning forward to catch Watari’s hands, trying to draw them away from where they clutched at the volleyball on his lap.</p><p> </p><p>“But you have to promise me, promise me that you’ll keep it a secret!”, he pleaded.</p><p> </p><p>Watari hopped to his feet and pulled his hands away. “Keep it a secret? What, they’re just going to show up at the wedding?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no!” Shigeru ran after Watari, throwing a frantic glance back at Hinata over his shoulder. Hinata didn’t know what Shigeru expected him to do, exactly: He felt frozen, rooted to the spot, his legs turned to mush. “They’re coming a little before, actually, so I can meet them. When I see them, I’ll know which one is my father.”</p><p> </p><p>“And then what, you’ll tell the others to go home?”</p><p> </p><p>“What did you even tell them, Shigeru?”, asked Hinata. He struggled to keep his voice calm. The whole thing was ludicrous. “Why would three guys just agree to come to the wedding of the son of someone they knew twenty years ago?”</p><p> </p><p>At that, Watari snickered. “Maybe Oikawa was that good.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru screeched, wrenched the ball from Watari’s hands, and bounced it off of his head. It landed with a soft thud and rolled away along the floor. Hinata made a mental note to find it later.</p><p> </p><p>Watari rubbed at his head with one hand. “Yeah, alright. I deserved that. But still.”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them reunited with Hinata on the couch, and Shigeru gave a soft exhale.</p><p> </p><p>“I- I pretended I was my dad”, he explained. “And that I’d been thinking about them in the run-up to the wedding, about my own past… How I wanted to put any bad blood to rest…”</p><p> </p><p>“We need to tell Oikawa”, Watari insisted. “He’s going to find out at some point.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe. But by then I’ll know who my father is.” Shigeru looked to Watari with a firm expression. “Shinji, you know how he’ll take this. <em>You know. </em>He’ll think I don’t love him or- or that I’m doing this to hurt him. It's nothing like that. I just need to know.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari didn’t look happy, but he pursed his lips in a line so thin they almost disappeared entirely and nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Does Kyoutani know?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. He’s been so busy, you know, with his friends from the mainland, and dad keeps asking him to fix things… He’s just been so busy, the only time I’ve really had to see him has been for wedding planning. And… I’m not sure how he’d take this, so I don’t want to tell him until I’ve met them and I’m sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata spoke up; “Wait, how did you even find them all?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, dad calls Kageyama and Ushijima by both their first and last names at various points in his diary.”</p><p> </p><p>That made sense, he supposed. Shigeru must have read more than the excerpts they had gone over previously. And then what Shigeru had actually said caught up to him, and the whole world seemed to flip upside down.</p><p> </p><p>“Kageyama? Kageyama Tobio?” If he hadn’t felt sick before, he really did now.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru looked to him sharply. “Do you know him, Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>“I know of him.” He’d watched Kageyama for years. It was embarrassing but, for a while, he used to imagine Kageyama setting to him. He was one of the best, after all, and it never hurt to dream. All of those thoughts had been lost later, of course, since Hinata did have a sort of personal history there too. A one-sided rivalry, really. Kageyama may not know him, but Hinata sure knew Kageyama.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you know Ushijima?”, Shigeru demanded. “They both played volleyball. They played together before.”</p><p> </p><p>It was silly, of course it was, not to put two and two together that Ushiwaka was Ushijima Wakatoshi. Both volleyball players, similar names. He cursed himself.</p><p> </p><p>Seeing that Shigeru was still awaiting an answer, Hinata managed to squeak out; “Ah. I knew of him, too. But I’ve never personally spoken to either of them, exactly.”</p><p> </p><p>“Strange coincidence, huh?”, Watari murmured.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shot him a weird look. “It’s how my dad met them, dummy. Although it is funny, I got all three replies today. That was a bit spooky.” He turned to Hinata. “Iwaizumi is an athletics trainer now. He worked in America for a long time, but he’s back in Japan now. Lucky, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s all working out perfectly, really!” He grinned. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Hinata. You can help me look out for them since you’ll probably get along with them!”</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to, Hinata”, Watari began anxiously. “This is all madness, Shigeru, you shouldn’t just assume we’ll help-”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” When Hinata spoke, the younger men both stopped and looked at him. “It’s okay, I want to.” If it wasn’t Kageyama and Ushijima, he might not, he thought. Anyone else and he probably would have told Oikawa, would have told Shigeru how ridiculous this was. But it was them, and that changed things.</p><p> </p><p>Matching Shigeru’s grin, he declared; “I can’t wait to meet them.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Once Shigeru and Watari had left, Hinata did the first thing that came to mind, and rode his moped down through the trees and to the café. He parked on the small strip that doubled as a parking lot and walked perpendicular to the sea. Along the shoreline he could see that blossoms were beginning to bloom among the trees and on the plantlife in the town. He wondered for a second how it was at the nature reserve, about all of the baby animals being born. </p><p> </p><p>Inside, it was the other waitress working. The place was quiet, only a woman with two small children sitting at one table and speaking in a low hum, and so Hinata made his way over to the server.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi.” Her eyes flickered up to him from where she had been poring over her magazine at the cash register. He couldn’t blame her for her boredom: Not when he had done much the same, except with a volleyball magazine rather than a lifestyle one, on quiet nights during his stint of working in takeaways in Brazil. “Er, I’m a friend of Yachi’s. Do you know if she’s home?”</p><p> </p><p>Her gaze turned suspicious. “Wait here. I’ll check.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl moved away to the door that led out to the back. Hinata caught a glimpse of a short corridor leading to the kitchen, with a door coming off to either side.</p><p> </p><p>She was still staring at him as she muttered into a small box on that wall that it took Hinata a moment to realize was an intercom.</p><p> </p><p>He shuffled uncomfortably, but only for a moment because then Yachi had appeared in the entryway. “Hinata!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Yachi!”</p><p> </p><p>Shuffling forward, she folded her arms and leaned against the counter. She was dressed casually today, in a pink sweater and with two butterfly clips in her hair.</p><p> </p><p>“How come you’re here?”, she asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I wanted to talk to you”, he explained. “I’ve been told something… A secret. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing, or not.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi suddenly looked nervous. “Okay. Can I help at all?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced toward the other waitress, who was clearly listening in. “Ah. Not really. Sorry for… Unloading all of this on you. I wanted to talk to somebody and you were the first person I thought of.”</p><p> </p><p>She stared at him for a moment longer, and then she tilted her head. “Come on.”</p><p> </p><p>With a nod to the other girl, Yachi lead him around the back of the counter and into the small corridor behind. It was definitely the kitchen out back, he thought: He could feel the warmth emanating down the hall, and hear machines whirring and whistling. Yachi opened the door to the right to reveal a set of stairs, just as steep but more uniform than the ones leading to the second floor of the outhouse. At the top sat an open door.</p><p> </p><p>The apartment inside was small, with four rooms that Hinata could count. A shoebox of a room with a table and two low armchairs was what he was greeted with upon entering. A door led off to the left, and then two to the right, each of them open: A kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>There was no paint on the walls of the living room, and not much furniture besides the chairs and table; just a few shelves with books and a potted plant, and a few small canvases stacked in one corner. Hinata wondered why she didn’t hang them up: He hadn’t been lying when he said that her artwork was good. In all, it was very minimalist.</p><p> </p><p>From what he could see of the bedroom, however, it looked like an explosion in a light factory. Beads dangled from every available surface, and all of the furniture was adorned with trinkets. The walls were painted a bright fuchsia.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi invited him to take a seat opposite her, and he found as he sunk into it that it was softer than he had expected, akin to a beanbag. He was almost sitting on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Swiftly, he explained to her, without going into too much detail, what they had discovered in the diary, and what Shigeru had done. Every time he glanced up at her, she had her hands clasped over her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“I feel guilty keeping a secret from Oikawa when Oikawa clearly trusts me: Or, at least, I think he does. I have the feeling that he doesn’t let many people in. But I don’t want to upset Shigeru, either. I do genuinely think he has a right to know about his own past.” Hinata frowned, staring down at one of the sketches on the table between them. It was of someone sitting in the café, staring out the window with their back turned away. Outside of the windows, there was nothing but gray, and small droplets dappled the glass. “I never knew my father. It never bothered me much, I assume my mom has her reasons for never telling me, but there have been times when I wished I’d known. So, the more I think about it, the surer I am that helping Shigeru is the right thing to do. I just wish that he didn’t want to keep Oikawa in the dark about it all; although, again, I understand why.”</p><p> </p><p>He looked back up at Yachi and stilled.</p><p> </p><p>Her face had somehow grown even paler than before.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re trusting you with something that important?”, she gasped. “That’s too much, surely!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yachi? Are you alright?” He leaned forward, concerned.</p><p> </p><p>She blanched, and Hinata jumped to his feet, afraid that she was actually going to be ill. Rushing into the kitchen- which itself was little more than a box and, not that he had the right to judge, slightly grimy- he grabbed a glass that sat on the counter and filled it with water.</p><p> </p><p>When he returned to Yachi’s side, she took it gratefully and gulped the water down. After a moment, she frowned at the tumbler and laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, Hinata asked, puzzled.</p><p> </p><p>“I normally use this mug for cleaning my brushes while I’m painting.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no.” He hopped back up to his feet. Was there something in the kitchen he could grab to prevent her from being paint-poisoned? Wait- were paints toxic?</p><p> </p><p>Yachi waved one hand to stop him. “No, Hinata, it’s fine. I must have washed it, it looks clean.”</p><p> </p><p>He slowly lowered himself once more, legs straining slightly as he sank right down in the chair before he reached the nadir of its descent.</p><p> </p><p>Two pairs of brown eyes met, and the warmth and humor in them slowly spread to the rest of their expressions. They began to chuckle, and Hinata felt a sudden calm washing over him. It was okay to tell Yachi. She was his friend. They could be in this together.</p><p> </p><p>He fidgeted slightly in the seat. “I didn’t tell Shigeru just how I sort of know Kageyama, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you said you didn’t?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I don’t, not really.” He stretched his arms out behind his head. Yachi winced when his bones cracked. “I’ve never met him. But I’ve seen him. I don’t think he remembers me, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“About ten years ago, there was an international game, in Rio. A volleyball game, that is.” Hinata paused, wondering why he had clarified that for her. Surely she would have known. “Japan against Brazil. I went to watch it with some of my friends. Thinking about it, Ushijima might actually have been on that team, too. I think he was having a bad game, though; I don’t remember him that much.” He remembered Kageyama, though. Consistently pushing his teammates to work harder, faster, than ever before, stretching the limits of what was humanly possible.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi’s eyes were stretched wide. “You were in the same building with two of them?”</p><p> </p><p>“Crazy, right? Volleyball is kind of a small world, I guess, compared to some sports, especially at the top. Not that I was at their level or anything: I never played at an international level. Anyway, we were queuing to get autographs. I wanted to get Kageyama’s.”</p><p> </p><p>A tiny smile touched her lips. “Something tells me you didn’t get it, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head. “No. I was maybe four or five back in the queue. One of my friends- Lucas- was right behind me. I could hear Kageyama talking.” How clearly he could recall the blunt tone of Kageyama’s voice, barely making conversation. Hinata could have dismissed it, perhaps, as a lack of foreign language skills; but there had been something in that tone that made him feel as though Kageyama had been almost irritated. “This one kid at the front of the queue told Kageyama that he played beach volleyball. And Kageyama, he just- he gave this snort-” That sound came back to him clear enough also, the derision in it, aimed at a child, that made Hinata’s blood boil. “-and told the kid that beach volleyball wasn’t real volleyball.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no. I hope he’s not the father.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned. The thought of that man, the great Kageyama, seemed irreconcilable with the young man in Oikawa’s diary, and with Shigeru. Hesitantly, he said; “Shigeru can be a bit of a brat but I don’t think he’s Kageyama’s son: He’s not enough of an asshole.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.”</p><p> </p><p>Contemplatively, Yachi stared toward the window, and Hinata became aware that he hadn’t finished the story.</p><p> </p><p>He continued; “I straight away tried to run at Kageyama. I wanted to challenge him to a game, but Lucas and some of my other friends held me back and dragged me outside.” He paused. “Kageyama is a genius, and I liked watching him play but, after that, I always hated him a little bit.”</p><p> </p><p>The worry had returned to his friend’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you not want him to come here, then?”, she asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, I want him to come.” Hinata flashed a bright grin at her. “I’m going to challenge him to a game of beach volleyball and grind him into the dust. Kageyama isn’t going to know what hit him.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was from the middle of a nightmare that Hinata was awoken that night. For a few seconds, he was unsure as to what had jerked him from his unconscious state.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn't sure of a lot in his dreary state: Not the time or how long he had been asleep. He had crashed sometime around eleven pm, a few hours after returning from Yachi’s. The two of them had eaten dinner together and began watching a drama that Yachi had been wanting to see, and the laziness of the day in comparison to the previous week had somehow made him feel even more exhausted than before.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s hands scrabbled about in the bed for his phone, trying to work out exactly when it was. All of his blankets were thrown about everywhere; he must have been tossing and turning. One hand landed on a rough surface, which he quickly came to recognize as the ball that Watari had carried up to the outhouse earlier. Ah, yes. He had been lying on his back, throwing and catching it, before tucking it into his side in a gesture that was comfortingly familiar. He couldn’t count how many times, as a teenager, he had awoken to find a volleyball in his bed.</p><p> </p><p>He rolled onto his side, still searching, and that was when he heard the voices coming from outside, too distant to be heard distinctly but close enough to alarm him.</p><p> </p><p>As he sat up in bed, the nightmare that he had been having came back to him. It was an odd one: Kageyama, and a man who looked a lot like Lucas- his old friend from Brazil, but who in his dream was for some reason the mysterious ‘Tsukishima’- were beating him at volleyball. He fell and twisted his ankle, and they laughed at him. He was lying injured on the floor, when Ushijima came over and picked him up, told him everything was going to be alright, and walked off with him. In his dream, they were heading toward a boat docked in the shallows of the bay, but Hinata never found out if they got there or not, or where they were heading.</p><p> </p><p>Disturbing. Hinata was going to blame Shigeru for it. And Oikawa. He spent years not thinking about Kageyama or Ushijima, and suddenly they were haunting him. He resolved to ask Yamaguchi to either introduce him to Tsukishima or show him a photo of the man so that his nightmares could be realistic at least, and not associated with his friends.</p><p> </p><p>One of the voices rose in volume and, although Hinata could still not make out the words, it seemed vaguely familiar.</p><p> </p><p>Throwing back the covers, Hinata winced at the chill of the icy air raking its fingers over his skin. He shuffled his feet into his slippers and made his way past the curtain that divided the bedroom from the rest of the outhouse, and then over to the window. In the dark he almost tripped over the table, however, he ultimately made it to his destination unscathed.</p><p> </p><p>He knew he had recognized the voice.</p><p> </p><p>Their figures heavily shadowed and just up the rocky path toward the main villa, stood Bokuto, Kuroo, Yaku, and Kai. Kai had another man with shaggy dark hair, whom Hinata didn’t remember seeing before, supported against his shoulder, one arm under his. While Hinata watched, Kai was nudging him and attempting to get him to walk further. He could only just make out their dark silhouettes against a sky that seemed so stretched thin that only the occasional star was dotting it. </p><p> </p><p>“Guys?”, he called.</p><p> </p><p>The five of them froze. Hinata briefly wondered whether this was something he wasn’t meant to see, his fingers clenching and digging into the peeling wooden frame, before he shook that thought away.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s head swung about, his wild nest of hair seeming to bounce with the movement. When he spotted Hinata he waved to the others and then indicated down to the outhouse, and there was a collective exhalation that rippled through them. Well, all of them except for the man Kai was supporting; his head was hanging down, feet dragging.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto jogged down the steps to Hinata, waving both hands. Yaku followed somewhat more slowly, picking his way carefully in the weak moonlight.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata, hi”, Bokuto panted when he was just a few feet away. His breath formed small clouds when he spoke. “Sorry about this. We were just heading home.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked past him warily. Whoever that guy was, he looked gone. If he hadn’t known them, hadn’t gone into the forest and visited the bar, he probably would have thought he was some kind of ritual sacrifice being taken to the cult.</p><p> </p><p>He noticed Yaku shooting a glare over his shoulder at Kuroo, and Kuroo huffing and turning away: Had they been arguing? Perhaps they were the raised voices that had awoken him?</p><p> </p><p>Seeing where Hinata’s gaze had traveled, Bokuto said; “Oh, this is Fukunaga.” He waved one arm at the man, who still seemed out of it.</p><p> </p><p>Yaku approached, and Hinata looked to him for an explanation.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s our new bartender”, he grumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, you two, we don’t have time for this”, Kuroo called. “It’s freezing!”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku swiveled to face him. “You can stop complaining when you’re the one who got him drunk on his first shift.”</p><p> </p><p>“I gave him two drinks! Two!” Kuroo ran one hand through his hair, his voice growing thin with exasperation. “How was I supposed to know the guy’s a lightweight?”</p><p> </p><p>“Both of you, calm down.” Kai’s even tone was quiet, and Hinata strained to hear him. “Let’s just get him back to ours so he can sleep it off.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto turned conspiratorially back to Hinata. “We felt bad for him. He got fired from the restaurant so quickly, Kai offered to train him up to work with us up here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like it’s working out so well.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto scratched at the back of his head. “Yeah…”</p><p> </p><p>A stab of pity ran through Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, if you want, he can stay here. It’ll be hard to get him down the hill in the dark.” He indicated behind himself, although the interior of the room was likely indistinguishable in the dark. “I have a couch, and I’m used to taking care of drunken teammates.”</p><p> </p><p>Yaku and Bokuto swapped looks and, if their head movements were anything to go by, it seemed so did Kai and Kuroo.</p><p> </p><p>Only then the silence was broken by the sound of the man- Fukunaga- doubling over and retching onto the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s stomach churned, and he silently hoped they would tell him no.</p><p> </p><p>Mercifully, Kuroo shook his head as Yaku stormed back up the steps, whipped a tissue from his pocket, and began to wipe at Fukunaga’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“This is our mess; we’ll deal with it. I’m sure the fresh air will do him good. Thank you, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if you’re sure.” Hinata shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo nodded. “Come on, Bokuto.”</p><p> </p><p>They didn’t wait; Kai and Yaku began to walk ahead, taking Fukunaga with them, and Kuroo trailed behind.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto raced to catch up, calling back over his shoulder; “See you, Hinata!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wedged the door shut once more and returned to bed. As much as he enjoyed making friends here and getting to see them, he really needed them to stop it with the late-night visits.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Shimada Is Slowly Losing His Mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ummmmm sorry that this has taken so long! It's actually been sitting in my files, fully-written, for a few days, I just haven't had the chance to go over and upload it. The next chapter is also half-written so expect that either at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. This one and the next one are both somewhat short (the next one is so far, anyway), but I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oikawa was wearing gloves, yellow as the inside of a daffodil, and a firm scowl on his face. The handle of a bucket was clasped in one gloved fist and he wielded a plunger with the other while he stalked to and fro across the courtyard.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata watched him for several minutes, the upper half of his body seeming to float back and forth above the crest of the courtyard from Hinata's lowered position by the outhouse, before he finally ventured up the steps to join him.</p><p> </p><p>In the morning sunlight, the slightly damp stones glistened and shone. Hinata shuddered slightly as he made his way up: It still felt chilly, and he was regretting the decision to wear only a t-shirt. Although they were fast heading into Spring, it clearly was nowhere near the warmth that came later on in the year.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re having a problem with the drainage system”, Oikawa explained before Hinata could even ask. He didn’t look around, simply continued his pacing. “I’m trying to work out why.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head. “So why are you walking around out here?”</p><p> </p><p>“A lot of the sewage pipes are connected under this courtyard. I’m just trying to figure out where it would be backed up based on the rooms that we’re having problems with.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh.” Hinata let out a soft exhale and wrapped his arms around himself. “A friend of mine told me there was a fountain under here. He called it the heart of the island.”</p><p> </p><p>“More like the shithole of the island.” Oikawa gave a hysterical laugh, finally pausing to look at his lodger. “Was it Bokuto? Or Yamaguchi, or?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yamaguchi. He said he saw the fountain during an earthquake.”</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head, still grinning. “He probably saw a burst pipe. Are you off to town?”</p><p> </p><p>“To see Yamaguchi, actually.” He’d been meaning to visit the information center again, ever since the last time. Besides, he still needed to tell Yamaguchi about his strange dream the night before.</p><p> </p><p>Remembering the events of the previous night, Hinata spun about, trying to spot where the new bartender- whose name Hinata had already forgotten- had vomited. There was no sign of it: It must have been largely liquid, thankfully.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa dropped the bucket to the floor, stuck the plunger onto one of the larger stones there, and leaned on it. “Have fun. I haven’t seen that guy around for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“No”, Hinata agreed. That was another reason for his visit: Yamaguchi hadn’t been coming around to the villa as much as before. Hinata half-wondered whether he was scaring the man off. He had dragged him along to the bar that time, after all.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa returned to his relentless pacing, with little sign of stopping, and so he retreated to the outhouse, grabbing a jacket before heading back up to where the moped was parked in the shadow of the villa.</p><p> </p><p>By the time he had ridden into town, the previously clear sky was overcast and dappled gray and white, ribbons of blue peeking out from behind the knitted blanket. The tops of houses were lined with birds that crowded in clusters of fours and fives.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata parked up his bike and paused to pet a stray black cat that seemed to like him, trailing its jaw across his pointer finger, before he pushed open the glass doors and into the tourist information center.</p><p> </p><p>As before, the building stood cool and empty. Hinata busied himself with perusing the aisles, not wanting to call out just in case Yamaguchi wasn’t there today.</p><p> </p><p>One brochure, in particular, leaped out to him: An advertisement for the villa. Oikawa’s beaming face- far different from his earlier frustrated huffs- was emblazoned across the front, under an aqua sign.</p><p> </p><p>He turned it over in his fingers, feeling the smooth paper tickling the pads at their tips. Splashed across the back were several phrases, advertising the villa as family-friendly and LGBT-friendly. One of the reasons, of course, that he had reached out to Oikawa first of all.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata?”, a quiet voice called, and he glanced up.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi was sitting at the counter. He wore a black turtleneck under his apron that made Hinata feel an envious pang in his stomach: It looked warm.</p><p> </p><p>Carefully placing the flyer back into its holder, Hinata turned to face his friend. “Hi!”</p><p> </p><p>“Were you looking for me?”, Yamaguchi asked, an amused lilt touching his voice as he rested his chin on one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I was, actually.” Hinata made his way across to join him at the desk. “I just wanted to come and see you. I feel as though I haven’t spoken to you in forever.”</p><p> </p><p>Shrugging, Yamaguchi said; “We’ve both been busy, I suppose. How have you been finding it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Good! I’ve been doing the usual, just working up at the villa.” He thought of Shigeru’s secret, of Kageyama and Ushijima and Iwaizumi, and his stomach tightened. He probably shouldn’t tell Yamaguchi about that, since he actually visited the villa often. Telling one person was enough. “I heard from Kenma.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi didn’t seem to notice his momentary pause. “Hmm?”</p><p> </p><p>“He said he’s doing okay. Just busy with work and stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you ever figure out what it is he actually does?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned. “Not really. I think-”</p><p> </p><p>The sound of the door opening made him jump, and the smell of coffee hitting his nose had him sitting upright and twisting to find its source.</p><p> </p><p>Coming through the door was Shimada, his hair parted evenly and his rimless glasses perched on his nose. In each hand, he held a cup of coffee. Behind him strolled a tall man with cropped blond hair that was obviously bleached. He also had a coffee cup, along with a small box. He was lankier than Shimada, with a similar stern set to his face, although the laughter lines running through it put Hinata at ease.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hi, Hinata. Didn’t I say I'd be seeing you again?” Shimada gave an easy smile as he walked across to hand one cup to Yamaguchi.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello”, Hinata greeted with a small wave of one hand, still feeling slightly awkward at being joined by a stranger.</p><p> </p><p>Following his gaze, Yamaguchi said; “Hinata, this is mine and Shimada’s other roommate, Takinoue.”</p><p> </p><p>Takinoue nodded and set the box down on the counter between Hinata and Yamaguchi. “Nice to meet you, Hinata”, he murmured distractedly while he flipped the lid open, and Hinata peered in to see three pastries nestled inside.</p><p> </p><p>“And you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the volleyball guy right?”, he asked, reaching in and helping himself to one of them. Hinata prayed that his stomach wouldn’t growl: He had missed breakfast, and the pastry looked as though it had been cooked just right, golden-brown and slightly crispy, with some kind of fruit filling spilling from the middle as Takinoue tore into it.</p><p> </p><p>Mutely, Hinata nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool. It's a great sport. Oh, man, if only Keishin was here right now…”</p><p> </p><p>“He’d have a field day”, Shimada nodded, wolfing down his own food.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shot a confused look across at Yamaguchi, who shrugged, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his sweater and wrapping them both around his coffee.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I don’t know, either. These old men have known each other forever. They're always telling me stories about people I don't know. I normally pretend I get what they're talking about.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey”, Shimada protested, although it came out mild.</p><p> </p><p>“We can always kick you out”, Takinoue threatened, with a significant amount more bite in his tone.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi narrowed his eyes, reaching for the last pastry. Hinata tried to hold back a longing groan. “No, you can’t. I’m your most valued employee.”</p><p> </p><p>Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, Shimada reminded; “You’re the only employee.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you work here, too, Takinoue?”, Hinata asked. With the three of them being roommates, he had somewhat assumed that was the common link between them.</p><p> </p><p>The blond man scoffed and almost choked on his own pastry. “Hell no.”</p><p> </p><p>“‘Hell no’? You make it sound like such a bad option!”, Shimada cried.</p><p> </p><p>“All you do is stand around all day.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, like you do so much more than that.”</p><p> </p><p>While the two continued to argue back and forth, Yamaguchi tore half of his pastry away from the rest and handed it to Hinata, who blinked a silent thanks at him. It was good: Flaky and buttery and sweet and tangy all at once. Forgetting where he was momentarily, he let out a satisfied hum, clapping a hand to his mouth when he spotted Yamaguchi’s amused smirk. Why hadn't he been to visit sooner?</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring his roommate’s jibes, Takinoue turned to answer Hinata’s question. “No. No, I work at Shimada’s store.”</p><p> </p><p>The conversation was confusing Hinata more and more with each passing second. “Shimada’s… Store?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shimada Mart”, Yamaguchi clarified, leaning forward. His eyes seemed to be softly glowing in the weak light. “Down the street. The one with the freaky sign.”</p><p> </p><p>It took Hinata a moment to understand which one they meant, and then his eyes flew wide open.</p><p> </p><p>“Whaa… You mean the pig?” He glanced back and forth between the other three men. There was no sign of dissension. “I go grocery shopping there! Shimada, do you really own that store?”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada gave a small laugh. “It’s a family business. It actually belongs to an uncle of mine, legally, although we all have a part in it.”</p><p> </p><p>In a stage-whisper, Yamaguchi said; “He does all of the grocery shopping for us because he gets a good discount.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I submit a list to you or something?”, Hinata asked, mock-seriously, and was rewarded with their chuckles echoing back at him.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s actually funny”, Takinoue said after a moment, shaking his head. “His family all wanted him to get a job there, too, and run it. Only he didn’t want to, so he works here, just down the street.”</p><p> </p><p>“They got you in my place.” Shimada took a sip of his coffee, watching Takinoue from the corner of his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, they won the trade-off.”</p><p> </p><p>“And now I’m slowly losing my mind here instead.”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada nudged him, only Takinoue was still half-leaning across the counter, and so he almost went sprawling to the floor. Shimada and Yamaguchi burst into laughter, and Hinata joined in.</p><p> </p><p>“How was the wildlife park, Hinata?”, Shimada asked once they had recovered. There was no noticeable change in his facial features, other than a wicked glint in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered. “Educational. Have you been there yourself?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah- once. A long time ago.” His smile was contemplative, if a little amused. “I can tell it hasn’t changed much.”</p><p> </p><p>“No”, Hinata agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what brings you back here? Need any more tips?”</p><p> </p><p>Swallowing the last of his pastry down, Hinata explained; “Well, I’ve been meaning to visit Yamaguchi. I was thinking about him.” At their bemused expressions, he continued; “I had a nightmare involving Tsukishima.”</p><p> </p><p>“Involving Tsukishima?” Takinoue swirled the last of his coffee around in the paper cup.</p><p> </p><p>“What happened?”, asked Yamaguchi, and Hinata relayed the full story, carefully editing the parts about Kageyama and Ushijima by only referencing them as famous volleyball players that he knew. Which wasn't really a lie: He knew of them, and he was going to be getting to know them a lot better soon.</p><p> </p><p>At the end of his tale, Yamaguchi gave a short burst of laughter that rattled like thunder. “I don’t think Tsukki is like that at all. You don’t have to worry. When he comes, you’ll see.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wondered when that day was going to be. Senselessly, he raised the cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip.</p><p> </p><p>"Hinata."</p><p> </p><p>He blinked up at Shimada. "Hm?"</p><p> </p><p>"That's mine."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh! Sorry!" He went to place the cup down on the desk, only to jump back as it dropped to the floor and leaked out, a pool of caramel-brown slowly expanding toward Hinata's shoes. "Sorry. I'll clean that up now. And buy you a new one. Sorry."</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The scent of cleaning products was replaced by the smell of coffee, then the smell of fresh ozone with a hint of pollen, and finally with dusty, dry air that tickled Hinata's throat with each inhale.</p><p> </p><p>The small cottage behind the main villa where Oikawa, Shigeru and Kyoutani lived was modern, more so than the charming rustic expanse of the villa. Yet, despite the more contemporary style, with the open family room where they entered being furnished with a black leather couch and white shelving, it was clear that the opulence was an illusion. Chips and threads were missing from many of the fittings, and several of the appliances sat gathering dust, forgotten and possibly broken.</p><p> </p><p>“We don’t have a proper kitchen here”, Shigeru explained as he led Hinata inside. He had caught Hinata on his return to the outhouse that afternoon and requested his company, claiming he needed to speak to him about something. “We use the one in the main villa. We only have a microwave and a kettle and a fridge in the living room. The bathroom is at the end of the hall.” He made sweeping gestures with one hand while he spoke. “The big room on the right here is dad’s. The first one on the left is Watari’s room- well, it used to be a guest room, but it’s Watari’s room really. And this here-” He stopped against an open door, posing grandly in a form akin to a ballet dancer, one hand held aloft- “is my room.”</p><p> </p><p>The interior was small and cramped. It looked like the bedroom of a teenager, which, Hinata realized, it was: Or, had been, until a short while ago. Posters were tacked across the walls, most intricately designed album art from musicians Hinata did not know of, intercepted by a big world map above the bed. A stuffed toy dog sat underneath it, perched against the pillows. On the windowsill, there were a couple of potted plants that he thought might be plastic, alongside several photo frames. Tiny, now familiar faces grinned up at him: Shigeru and Oikawa, Shigeru and Watari, Shigeru and Hanamaki and Matsukawa, Shigeru and Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>There were also several items that stood out to Hinata as obviously belonging to Kyoutani, including a black hoodie slung over the desk chair.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the white afternoon sunlight coming in from outside, Shigeru had the overhead light on. Whenever the sun dipped behind a cloud, the room turned yellow with electricity.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru flopped onto the desk chair, indicating to Hinata to have a seat on the bed. He did so, balancing carefully on the edge. While the family room and the corridor had felt at least relatively modern, all white walls and wooden flooring, the furniture in this room certainly betrayed its age. The desk Shigeru sat at appeared as rickety as the bed. The laptop on top of it was large and clunky, and the wood beneath heaved a sigh when Shigeru opened it up.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing across, Hinata spotted a book lying open on the desk, face-down: Oikawa’s journal. He had wondered where Shigeru had been keeping it.</p><p> </p><p>“I want to show you something”, Shigeru declared again. He pulled the laptop toward him, tapped at the keys for a moment, and then whispered; “I’ve been looking at the guys that I’ve invited. This is Iwaizumi Hajime.”</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, he rotated the screen so that Hinata could also see.</p><p> </p><p>The man on the screen was visible only from the chest up. He was wearing a dark polo shirt and had an easy-going smile and spiked black hair. His arms were crossed in front of him, and his biceps were so large that Hinata gaped. He was surprised the man’s sleeves weren’t ripping at the seams.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata. I need you to be honest with me.” Shigeru’s voice was low, his gaze intense. Hinata leaned in to listen. “Do you think I have his eyes?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata squinted at Shigeru, pretending to judge, and then laughed. He turned back to the laptop. “Isn’t this kind of creepy, though? I mean, you’re acting a bit like a stalker.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru retorted; “I’m only doing a little research. And I’m not looking at anything that isn’t publicly available on the internet.”</p><p> </p><p>“The wonders of social media.” Hinata recalled how he at one point, a couple of years ago, had someone managing his Instagram. Apparently, he couldn’t be trusted not to post blurry photos of strangers playing volleyball on his story.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. This picture is from when he was working as an athletics trainer in the United States. It's from the university’s official website. He doesn’t have much social media that I can see, actually. Kageyama and Ushijima also only seem to have standard accounts that are run by team staff and they’ve largely been quiet for a couple of months, since their respective retirements.” Shigeru leaned over to his laptop and pulled up a new tab. “I found some clips of them, though. When they were teammates.”</p><p> </p><p>The screen burst to life, showcasing a game that Hinata was familiar with: The Schweiden Adlers’ victory over EJP Raijin to win the V-league title. That had been one of Kageyama’s first years in the league- perhaps his second or third.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, I’ve seen this one before!”, he burst out excitedly. “Kageyama’s timing is incredible! And look at Ushijima’s spike!”</p><p> </p><p>He felt a thrill of satisfaction ripple through as they watched the ball being slammed down into the court. The looks on the faces of the opposing team... Hinata would not have wanted to have to receive that.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think it was weird for them?”, Hinata asked, his mind drifting. “As teammates? After… You know.”</p><p> </p><p>Probably not, he reasoned to himself. Kageyama and Ushijima were teammates on and off over the years as part of teams in the V-League and on the national team, and they always seemed to work well together. Although that didn’t really mean anything: One of the best duos he had played against in Sao Paulo had absolutely despised each other off the court, yet had been lethal together on it.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe. I don’t know.” Shigeru frowned, resting his chin on his fist and biting his cheek. “Shit, what if they come and start fighting or something?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if either of them are physically confrontational people. Although I know Kageyama is- or was- known to be… Bitter at times.”</p><p> </p><p>That was an understatement. Hinata had heard of the way Kageyama had been, especially when he first entered the League. The constant snapping at teammates, pushing them and demanding more. He had also heard that he had softened slightly, over the years- after all, nobody with a personality like that would last so long as Kageyama had- but Hinata was not prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt after his own personal experience.</p><p> </p><p>He opened his mouth to say that, only closed it again when he noticed the slightly panicked look on Shigeru’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I know!”, he continued, a little more upbeat. “Look up their net worth, and then pick the richest one.”</p><p> </p><p>One arm shot out to strike at Hinata’s shoulder, and he dived out of the way so he half-landed on the floor with a thud. Shigeru kicked one socked foot at him and he rolled out of the way, giggling. When he tried to pull himself up, he found rather embarrassingly that it was a struggle: For a moment, he flailed on his back like a stuck turtle, until Shigeru reached out a hand to help him up.</p><p> </p><p>“Old man”, Shigeru teased- a favorite taunt of his, Hinata was now learning- and Hinata countered with one of his own favorite responses, flicking the boy in the forehead with one finger.</p><p> </p><p>Settling back down on the edge of the bed, Hinata drew his knees to his chest, rested his head in his arms, and asked; “When are they coming?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru hummed. “Oh, in a few days.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaped to his feet once more.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Who would even do that?” Shigeru raised his hands placatingly. “They’re not coming for a couple of months yet. A few weeks before the wedding: I guess they can all afford to take that time out. I don’t know how long they’ll stay afterward.”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess it depends on which one ends up being your father. And how Oikawa reacts when he appears at your wedding..”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t remind me.” Shigeru buried his face in his hands and groaned, rocketing out of his chair to flop face-down on the bed. “Fuck, that’s going to be awkward.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata patted his back and attempted to come up with some words of comfort. Nothing came to mind that he thought wouldn’t make Shigeru angry.</p><p> </p><p>The door creaked open behind them, and Shigeru’s head shot up. He twisted onto his back to stare over Hinata’s shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Turning, Hinata saw Kyoutani standing in the doorway, fingers still resting on the handle. He was frowning as he stared at Hinata. After a short pause, he made a small noise in Hinata’s direction and then moved inside fully, closing the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be so rude, Kentarou. Greet our guest properly”, Shigeru scolded as he propped himself up on his hands, head lolling against his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani merely grunted and went into the closet beside the desk. Hinata could hear him rummaging through, looking for something.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shuffled his way back across and onto his desk chair. He made a face at Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>A black pair of boots emerged first from within the closet, held by Kyoutani’s hand, and then the rest of him slowly came into view, still glaring.</p><p> </p><p>“See you later”, he muttered under his breath, turning to the door.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could go, Shigeru had jumped out of his seat and was standing at Kyoutani’s side. He grabbed at Kyoutani’s hand and tugged until he turned around, tilting his head down to capture Kyoutani’s lips in a quick kiss.</p><p> </p><p>With some amusement, Hinata noticed Kyoutani’s ears turning pink. The flush spread all the way over his cheeks and nose, showing up bright against his black-ringed eyes. The scowl still didn’t leave his face, but he leaned briefly into Shigeru’s embrace, muttering something as he drew away.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru watched him go with a reserved smile.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was almost midnight when Kyoutani returned. Hinata got the sense that it was time for him to leave from the way Kyoutani sat next to him on the bed and stared for a good twenty seconds. Hinata had been so absorbed in watching volleyball games and pointing things out to Shigeru that he had not noticed how late the hour was.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru trusted him to see himself out, which turned out to be a mistake. Hinata initially turned left and found himself strolling down to the bathroom before recognizing his error and spinning about. Passing Shigeru’s door, he could hear low murmurs, and then he found himself caught in the intersection between two rooms.</p><p> </p><p>To his right- Watari’s room, if he remembered correctly- Kyoutani’s two young guests were seated on the bed, speaking. Kunimi met his eyes with a cold stare over Kindaichi’s shoulder, and he rapidly looked away.</p><p> </p><p>As he did so, he caught sight of Oikawa’s room. It was far simpler than Shigeru’s and a little larger. Just inside the door, a desk was pressed up against the wall, and Oikawa crouched over it, one hand tangled in his hair and the other clutching a pen. As Hinata watched, the man’s cheek moved, and Hinata realized he was chewing on it.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you need, Shouyou?” There was no smile, no warmth in Oikawa’s voice now. He barely glanced up from the notepad he pored over.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jumped. “Nothing. Sorry. I was just leaving.”</p><p> </p><p>He stilled in his panic to get moving when Oikawa muttered; “Sorry.” The brunet ran one hand over his face. “Are you alright? I forgot to ask when I saw you earlier. You didn’t come to breakfast today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah- no. I got up late, and decided to go for a ride and see Yamaguchi, remember?” Curious yet cautious, Hinata leaned against the doorframe. “What are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“You can come in.” It seemed more of a command than a permission. “I’m trying to arrange a plumber to come.”</p><p> </p><p>Stepping inside, Hinata peered at the notepad. He didn’t quite understand all the numbers and squiggles- Oikawa’s handwriting was messier than he had anticipated, worse even than it had been in the journal- but he knew that the amount of red on the page and the places that Oikawa had underlined so harshly he had nearly ripped a hole in the page did not bode well.</p><p> </p><p>Squinting, Hinata asked; “This late?” Oikawa was always up, it seemed, no matter how early Hinata awoke. He had even tried to test it a couple of weeks prior, getting up at 5 am to jog and finding Oikawa already puttering about the reception.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa smiled a shrewd smile. “It’s not that late. I always do this at night. Going over the finances. Too depressing to do it in the morning.” He gave a small chuckle, and then hunched over so that Hinata could not see his face, rubbing at his temples. “We’re really in the shit now, Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata moved to place a hand on his shoulder; thought better of it; withdrew it. Instead, he asked; “How bad is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Bad.” Oikawa turned to look at him. His eyes were glassy. “Honestly, I might be forced to sell this place by the end of the year, so enjoy it while you can.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well… If you need help, you know I will. I’ll help any way I can.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa seemed to understand the implication, because he shook his head. “I don’t accept charity.” He rubbed at his temple again briefly with one hand. Unfortunately, it was the hand he had been holding his pen with, and he winced and rubbed at the inky line that appeared on the side of his face. Hinata bit back a giggle. “If you really want to help, you can start by going to bed and then doing some work around here in the morning.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata went.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I know it says there’s a couple of months until the guys arrive buuuuut it’s not going to take thaaat long, there will be one or two small time-skips to get us there. Also, Hinata stop gaping at men’s arms challenge.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Aoi Is A Nice Name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaah again, sorry that this is a little later than I said it would be but this chapter turned out longer than I thought it would. There will be another chapter coming, either at the end of this week or- more likely, knowing me- the beginning of next. Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spring arrived so gradually that Hinata barely even noticed. It was only one April morning, as he hummed to himself in the shower, that he became aware of the thick scent of pollen in the air; unfortunate for his allergies, but fortunate for the island itself, he supposed. Crops had been springing forth in the fields about the villa: Many of the nearby houses had turned out to be farms, which Hinata had not realized when they had been shrouded under the cover of Winter. But, with the birth of new life, the fact that there was plentiful growth surrounding them was unavoidable. Hinata only had to step up to the small courtyard of the villa and gaze out across the fields, away from the cliffs, to discover rows of vegetables and plants reaching as high as his waist. The air hitting his skin in the mornings still carried a chill, yet it was no longer the deep bone-gnawing frosty temperature he had grown used to, and he could hear more insects chirping through the windows of the outhouse at night.</p><p> </p><p>Over the past few weeks, he had worked hard to do as Oikawa had asked and help out around the villa. Matsukawa had shown him how to quickly change a bed: Something that, over the years, he embarrassingly hadn’t managed to get very good at. Hanamaki had shown him how to fix a hole in a wall, after another incident involving some drunken tourists. Shigeru had shown him all of the rooms and the tricks to opening each of them when the locks sometimes stuck or played up, and Watari showed him where they kept just about everything he would ever need to clean any type of mess that could be imagined, the cupboards and crannies about the villa secretly brimming with cloths and bottles of spray.</p><p> </p><p>Turning about to get the back of his head under the spray, Hinata’s humming slowly morphed into his usual shower song.</p><p> </p><p>In his normal tuneless tune, he sang; “Got to scrub, got to get clean, so I can start the day a-fresh.”</p><p> </p><p>He shook his hair out, tilting his head to wash away any shampoo that had dripped down onto his face.</p><p> </p><p>“A fresh start for me, a fresh start to-”</p><p> </p><p>He fell silent with a tiny croak when he came face to face with a large spider. Its eight eyes stared back at him unblinkingly from the wall, legs hunched up on either side of its bulbous body.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked, and after a moment he relaxed. It was only Molten.</p><p> </p><p>The spider had been in the small hut that Hinata called a bathroom for a couple of months now. Although Hinats had feared it for a couple of weeks when it first appeared, darting in and out of the bathroom only when necessary, he had gotten used to it, and Bokuto had suggested he name it so he wouldn’t be afraid of it anymore. He was the expert when it came to animals, so Hinata figured he would try it. It seemed to have been working. So long as Molten didn’t move any closer than the wall, they could co-exist. Hinata even had to wonder whether Molten was one of the spiders, or perhaps a descendant of one of the spiders, that had come from under his couch. Perhaps it just missed being indoors.</p><p> </p><p>If he saw any others, though, he was going to freak out.</p><p> </p><p>When he shut the water off, he waved goodbye to Molten and braced himself for the cool air against his skin out on the cliffs.</p><p> </p><p>In theory, he should have taken his clothes with him to the outhouse, and he normally did- especially on the occasions that he showered at night- but today he simply wanted to enjoy the morning sun on his skin. Besides, it was unlikely anybody would see him down there. Even Oikawa, who seemed to know everything that was going on, often left him to his own devices in the outhouse the majority of the time. And it was early enough that most of the dozen or so guests that they currently had wouldn’t be wandering about just yet.</p><p> </p><p>Stepping into his sliders, he made his way out of the cubicle and onto the side of the cliff, jumping a little as some grass tickled the top of his bare foot and caressed his ankle. Where there had been ragged brown earth a couple of months before, tufts of green were sprouting.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of heading straight inside, Hinata stood with his back to the outhouse, staring out over the sea for a while. Watching the waves was calming. He knew it was not the same ocean that he saw in Brazil, but he had read somewhere that all bodies of water were connected, and that thought was comforting. The lull of the waves had taken on its own form in his mind, the sea became a creature watching over him, something that stretched on right around the world, and it was good to return to it and just sit by it sometimes, catching his breath. He closed his eyes and imagined that he could see a boat on the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, the chill became too much, and he swiftly slipped around to the front of the outhouse and inside to get dressed, before making his way up to the villa.</p><p> </p><p>The food had already been served in the dining room. From the buffet table they laid out for guests, Hinata grabbed a bowl and piled it with rice and a couple of eggs.</p><p> </p><p>“Kids not up yet?”, he asked cheerily as he took a seat beside Hanamaki. He had been hoping to catch them, today of all days.</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa glanced up from his own tray, smiling a lop-sided smile. His hair had grown out a little longer, and the dark strands were even messier than usual</p><p> </p><p>He said; “I don’t think I’ve seen them before 10 am on a day off.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa rolled his eyes, jabbing at his pork. “They probably won’t be up for a couple of hours yet. The five of them were out basically all night last night. I think Watari went home to see his family but I heard Shigeru and Kentarou coming in a couple of hours ago.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, Hinata couldn’t blame them for taking advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. It was Watari’s birthday, after all. And, with the amount of work that boy did- some days Hinata barely saw him, as he went around cleaning each room and stripping down all of the beds- he deserved a rest.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki sighed, leaning his cheek on his hand. “Ah, to be young again.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re really not that old, idiot.” Matsukawa shook his head. “Sometimes you guys talk like we’re decrepit.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Oikawa could be looking at grandkids soon enough.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa’s mouth stretched in horror. Hinata gave a chuckle as he looked down, digging into his meal. Once he glanced back up, he saw that Oikawa’s expression had changed, into a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think they’re thinking about that any time soon”, he said pleasantly. “And if Shigeru does say anything about wanting a kid, I’ll tell him he can’t be thinking of those things. He’s too young, he has more to do with his life first. They’re all basically babies.” Oikawa’s smile widened. “At about 6 am Kindaichi slinked in here and was loading up all of the pockets of his jacket with food. I think he was still a little drunk. When I walked in, he froze like a rabbit in headlights! He said he was stocking up on food for him and Kunimi to eat later.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata snickered. “Those boys.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re a nightmare. It’s like living with a pack of ravenous wolves.”</p><p> </p><p>“You could kick them out”, Hanamaki suggested, although Hinata could tell he wasn’t being serious.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa’s lips puckered. “No, no, I couldn’t do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you’d miss the free labor.” Matsukawa jabbed him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed down a few more mouthfuls of his food. He wasn’t even tasting it really, just eating it as quickly as possible. He hadn't given himself as much time to get ready as he usually allowed.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was glancing pointedly at his watch, and Hinata turned toward the clock hanging on the wall.</p><p> </p><p>Shit. He really was going to be late.</p><p> </p><p>Taking one rather large final bite, Hinata muttered, around cheeks stuffed full of food; “I’d better get going to the docks.”</p><p> </p><p>As he stood, Matsukawa fished in his pocket for something, and then there was a flash of silver and a tinkling sound as he threw it toward Hinata. Hinata caught it in one hand and stared down at it. The keys for the van.</p><p> </p><p>“Would one of you guys mind washing up for me?”, he asked as he stood and tucked his chair back under.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki raised an eyebrow. “You’ll owe me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, Makki!” Hinata dashed outside and focused on getting to work.</p><p> </p><p>The drive down was pleasant, surrounded on either side by jade green and bright sapphire blue overhead. Hinata pulled into their usual spot along from the café at the beach and walked along to the docks, stopping to smile at a stray cat that was sunning itself on the way.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, it seemed that the ferry had already arrived; but only just. Hinata had expected that. The boat bobbed against the pier, the workers walking the course of the deck and lowering the gangplank for the passengers to disembark.</p><p> </p><p>Mere minutes later, the area was flooded with people, spilling out onto the solid ground. It only took a few seconds for Hinata’s now-practiced eye to spot them.</p><p> </p><p>The group of young men were lugging suitcases behind them and standing close together, looking a little lost. They were different than most of the other groups Hinata had met before; they seemed quieter than Futakuchi’s party had been although, on the whole, they were nearly as tall. He couldn’t quite remember what they were here for- not a bachelor’s party or a birthday party, as the small group of girls from Nagoya whom he had chauffeured around the week before had been, likely just a holiday- so he simply beamed around at them as he approached.</p><p> </p><p>Even as he approached, one of them- a young boy with light brown hair and large eyes- caught his gaze and smiled back at him, and another boy, whose spiked blond hair rose above the headband he wore, also threw him a polite nod. They seemed nice. But Hinata had already made the decision not to get too involved. Best not to get too attached to anybody who was just passing through.</p><p> </p><p>He drew nearer to them, and they fell silent and turned their curious faces in his direction.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata drew in a breath, repeating the words that he was now used to saying; “Hi. Is one of you Himekawa?” The boy with the light brown hair nodded. Ah. Of course. “I’m Hinata Shouyou. I’m here to take you to the villa and show you our lovely island. If there’s anything you need during your time here, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took Himekawa and his friends up to their rooms, helping them with their luggage and bringing them fresh juice as a courtesy. He had to deal with changing yet another blown lightbulb in the process: He should really start charging them for his services as an electrician.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Shouyou”, Himekawa murmured when Hinata told him he would leave them to it.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah- it’s Hinata.” It was still strange to him, being called Shouyou by someone other than family: For the last fifteen years, including his time in Brazil, he had almost exclusively been Hinata. He even thought of himself as Hinata, that way. The only people he hadn’t corrected about it were Oikawa- simply because he hadn’t wanted to appear rude to his landlord when they had first met, and now he felt too much time had passed to ask him to stop- and Kenma, who had also only used his first name. It was strange, actually, now that he thought about it, that it had never felt weird with Kenma.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry.” Himekawa looked distraught. “Everybody just calls me Aoi, so sometimes-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a problem, though”, Hinata cut across him swiftly, remembering his manners. He smiled. “Aoi is a nice name. It makes sense people want to use it, it suits you.”</p><p> </p><p>Himekawa had gone rosy-cheeked, and Hinata saw that of the various other members of his group- probably college friends, judging by their ages- some were snickering, some were whispering, and some were giving Hinata wary stares.</p><p> </p><p>He had figured that was his cue to make his excuses and headed off to meet with Bokuto at the café.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as he walked through the door, he spotted the back of Kuroo’s head, unmistakable as ever with his hair sticking up all over the place. He hadn’t realized Bokuto was going to be bringing him, but the more the merrier, he supposed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, guys”, he greeted, stopping to wave to Yachi at the counter as well while walking to the table. He would have gone over to her, but there were a few more customers today, and as he watched she darted back down the hall to the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto and Kuroo made small noises of acknowledgment as he took a seat, dragging it over from another table.</p><p> </p><p>“We just had some new guests arrive at the villa”, Hinata announced, wincing slightly at the scrape of his chair over the floor. “A group of young guys, I think you’ll like them. I might direct them over to the park if that’s okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure!” Bokuto grinned and leaned back in his own seat. Two mugs sat on the table close to his hands. They had been there a while, judging from the lack of steam rising from the drinks.</p><p> </p><p>“Young guys?”, Kuroo asked. His expression was unreadable. Hinata often found it hard to tell with Kuroo, whether he was in a good mood or not, which was likely why he spent more time with Bokuto.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata said; “Yeah, but they don’t seem like… I don’t know, hardcore partygoers or anything like that. They seemed nice.” Nice and fairly calm, and Himekawa, in particular, had seemed shy. Internally he cringed in second-hand embarrassment, recalling the scene that had played out before he left. He hoped he hadn't come across as rude, and that Himekawa wasn't too embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.” Kuroo rested his head on one hand, smirking a little. “Seems like you’re really settling down well here, Hinata. I remember when you were still new and kind of quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata laughed a little at that.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata? Quiet? No, never.” Bokuto reached over to pat him on the back, a little too hard. “He’s a tough one. Takes after me.”</p><p> </p><p>His laughter turned embarrassed, cheeks bright red.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo looked between them both and sighed. “Well, so long as they don’t make a mess around here. Yaku and I have enough of a job already keeping the streets clean.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tipped his head to one side. “But I thought you and Yaku worked at some kind of plant?” He could have sworn they had mentioned that before.</p><p> </p><p>“We used to when we left university. That was what, a decade ago? Man, time flies." Kuroo shook his head. “But now we run our own business. Recyclable packaging. It’s all fair-trade stuff, very green. We put the money from the bar towards it initially, only now quite a few local businesses have bought in, so we’re finally seeing a profit.” Sitting up straight in his chair, he added; “We also pick up litter, and recycle what we find."</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto chuckled a low chuckle. “He’ll give you his business card if you ask.”</p><p> </p><p>“You have a business card?” Hinata couldn’t remember knowing someone personally who had one. He supposed some of the agents and managers he worked with over the years must have done, but they had never offered them to him: Must have been for corporate contacts only.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course”, Kuroo shrugged, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p> </p><p>“Kuroo Tetsurou, businessman and part-time bartender.” Bokuto waggled his eyebrows.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve actually been thinking about leaving the bartending behind. Yaku and I talked about it. Once we make enough money, maybe.”</p><p> </p><p>“No! You can’t leave me!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, Hinata will take my place.” Kuroo nudged him. “Won’t you, Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could never quite tell when Kuroo was being serious or not. “I can’t bartend.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m a good teacher.” He jerked a thumb in Bokuto’s direction. “I taught this guy everything he knows, after all.”</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto beamed proudly, sitting up straight in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo continued; “He’s a terrible student, though, so don’t blame me when he fucks up. I’m sure you’ll be better.”</p><p> </p><p>He was met with a scowl as Bokuto pushed back his chair. “I’m going to go and get some more drinks.” His and Kuroo’s mugs were both still half-full, Hinata noted.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought that he was maybe only pretending to be angry, though, from the slant of his eyebrows, and Kuroo seemed to have the same impression, because he smiled even as he protested; “Aww, come on, don’t be like that, Bokuto.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m going.” Bokuto put his nose in the air. “Hinata, what do you want?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tea would be nice, please.”</p><p> </p><p>“Coming right up.”</p><p> </p><p>He vanished off toward the counter. Hinata saw Yachi perk up as he approached, and the two of them entered into an animated conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo was also watching.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve known that guy a long time”, he shrugged once he caught Hinata’s eye, “but sometimes I still don’t get him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? I think Bokuto said you’d been friends for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we knew each other as kids. We both went to different schools on the mainland, but we grew up here. Rode the ferry across together sometimes, though we didn’t hang out much until we actually graduated.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why not?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo glanced away, out through the glass windows and toward the beach, the skin around his dark eyes furrowing as he seemed to concentrate on remembering. “We had different friend groups. We only really started talking because I was working odd jobs in the Summer to pay for university, and I met Bokuto and Oikawa and we would work up at the bar together when Shigeru was small.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know you knew Oikawa that well, either.” Hinata would have to ask him about it.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo shrugged and smiled and didn’t say anything, instead sipping on the drink in front of him and eyeballing Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto might seem like a really fun, popular guy”, he said after a beat of silence had passed, “but he didn’t have many friends as a kid. It was only in the last year or two of high school that he made some friends through his volleyball team.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned to look at where Bokuto was talking Yachi's ear off. Sure, he was a little… Much sometimes, but Hinata really liked him. Who in their right mind wouldn’t find his enthusiasm infectious?</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo was hesitating, he noted, lightly drumming his fingers against the handle of his mug. “Look, some of the people who come here, they- not quite take advantage of, per se- but they use Bokuto’s kindness. He’s not stupid, right, but he’s… Too friendly, sometimes. That’s why I get a bit wary of some of the people he brings round. Like you. I know you’re alright now, of course, but I still need to keep an eye out for him. Because sometimes people come here, and they say all the right things, but as soon as they're gone you're nothing but a blip in their memories.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh. Hinata blinked at him. He hadn't known that. Looking back, Bokuto had invited him into his home and been eager to spend time together early in their friendship, but then Hinata hadn't thought anything other than that was just the type of person Bokuto was. The thought of somebody using the affection and advice that Bokuto was always so keen to dole out was upsetting. He got why Kuroo would want to protect their friend. He felt that Kuroo was perhaps also trying to explain why he had never made much of an effort to get to know Hinata before, and he could understand that too, especially now; watching people coming and going, getting close to them only to realize that they would forget all about you as soon as they were gone, had to hurt.</p><p> </p><p>They fell silent when Bokuto bounced back over with three drinks held between his large hands. He set them down and then flopped into the chair he had been sitting on before.</p><p> </p><p>“Doesn’t mean I get what he’s thinking at all, though”, Kuroo added with a tiny upward twitch of his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Bokuto turned to his roommate, golden eyes wide and glistening, and apparent quarrel long forgotten, shed like raindrops rolling from a waterproof jacket. “Are you telling Hinata about Twitter?”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Hinata frowned. He thought Bokuto knew that he had Twitter. Not that he used it with any frequency, but some mornings when he woke up he would scroll through, and save anything particularly funny to share with his friends.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo drew his attention back with the blasé waving of one hand. “Oh, I found your friend on Twitter.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kozume Kenma”, Bokuto supplied helpfully.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared between the two of them. “Kenma?” Why had Kuroo been looking for him?</p><p> </p><p>After casually draining the last of his old drink and swapping its spot in front of him with the new one Bokuto had brought over, he said; “I didn’t realize he was some big-shot businessman.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me neither, honestly.” Hinata shrugged. In truth, ‘businessman’ was stretching it a bit. Did gaming and stock trading count as business? There was the merchandise company he seemed to have a hand in as well, Hinata supposed. He had a large following, too, and seemed quite popular among them, whereas Hinata couldn’t think of many other businessmen who could say the same. He was still a little confused as to what Kenma was really doing on the island; what the ‘location’ he needed was for. “He doesn’t act like it at all.”</p><p> </p><p>“I followed him yesterday. Thought he wouldn’t know who I was.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had the feeling Kuroo’s story didn’t end there. “And?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo smiled, not the same tight-lipped smirk as before, but a slightly open-mouthed grin that allowed his sharp canine teeth to peek through. “He sent me a picture of a cat late last night. Said it looked like me.”</p><p> </p><p>He held his phone out for inspection.</p><p> </p><p>Indeed, the fluffy black cat, one eye either winking or obscured by fur, did bear a resemblance to the man in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>There were some more messages underneath, but Kuroo moved his phone back before Hinata had a good chance to read anything else there.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah.” Hinata gave a small chuckle as he shuffled back in his chair. “He does that sometimes.” It was nice of Kenma to remember Kuroo, though, from the brief moments they had seen each other, he supposed. That was one thing he had learned about Kenma: He was observant, even in the moments when he seemed distracted or focused on something else. And, most of all, he hadn't faded out of reach once he had left. He and Hinata still messaged semi-regularly, when Hinata could remember to reply to him.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto nudged Hinata’s arm. “Ooh, help me make a Twitter so I can follow him and get cat pictures too!”</p><p> </p><p>He pulled his phone out from his pocket and brought the screen to light. Hinata laughed internally but leaned over to help, ignoring Kuroo’s groan.</p><p> </p><p>There were far less entertaining ways to spend an afternoon than teaching Bokutoo to use Twitter, after all.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>While the mornings were warming up, the crisp evening air still raised goosebumps on Hinata’s bare skin, and he shrugged back into his coat, snuggling down in one of the several lawn chairs that Hanamaki and Matsukawa had set up in the grassy strip between the villa and the forest.</p><p> </p><p>The kids had since returned and were sitting with them in their rough semi-circle, watching the sun go down over the cliffs several meters away. The air smelt sweetly of petals and a hint of the alcohol that some of the boys had already started on before Hinata had arrived. Over their heads, the sky faded in ribbons, white to amber to indigo to black.</p><p> </p><p>Insects were beginning to strike up a tune in the trees nearby. Hinata would have been focused on that, attempting to identify them from memories of childhoods spent out in the hills with his friends, only they were overlaid with the drum of voices and the clattering sounds of Oikawa fixing the drinks through the cracked-open kitchen window.</p><p> </p><p>Himekawa and the rest of the guys had gone out about half an hour ago, so there was no danger of being interrupted by them. They had asked Hinata for recommendations, and he had told them that if they just wanted to get drunk and have a good time, the tourist strip in town was something they should experience once. Although, he had warned them not to get lost or split up.</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to come with us at all, Hinata?”, Himekawa had asked, blinking those large eyes of his in Hinata’s direction. The boy with spiky blond hair, and another with a shaved head, had flanked him.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had considered it for a moment. They did genuinely seem like good people. And, if he had been back in Brazil, he would have jumped at the chance to get to know them.</p><p> </p><p>Only…</p><p> </p><p>Only, Himekawa and his friends would be gone in just a few days. Besides, Hinata had more than enough friends at the villa already, and he had prior commitments with them that evening.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m good.” He shrugged, throwing his sunniest smile at them. “Thank you for offering, though, guys.”</p><p> </p><p>They had given him a last smile and farewell before departing.</p><p> </p><p>Now, surrounded by his ‘island family’, as Watari had called them the other day, Hinata felt a pang somewhere between his ribs; it made a change from his stomach, he guessed. He was glad that he was there with the others to celebrate Shigeru’s birthday, yet he couldn’t help the feeling rising in his throat that he was missing out a little, missing out on getting to know a whole new group of people that he knew virtually nothing about so far.</p><p> </p><p>He swallowed it back down.</p><p> </p><p>Inevitably, his thoughts wandered to Futakuchi and Aone and Koganegawa and the others. He had heard nothing from them. Surely the wedding would have long passed by now, and the honeymoon, too. He wondered how that went for them. He wished he’d gotten to meet Mei. He hoped that she and Futakuchi were happy together.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was spared from any further musings by the arrival of Oikawa, who was holding a tray of drinks. He balanced them precariously on the wobbly table that they had propped up in the center of their messy arch.</p><p> </p><p>Still holding onto the tray, he said; “Quick, take your drinks.”</p><p> </p><p>Although Oikawa’s voice was stern, his smile was wide and genuine and he seemed more open than Hinata could ever remember seeing him, no trace of his worries when Hinata had seen him poring over the financials.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaned forward quickly; too quickly, apparently, for he nearly knocked heads with Kyoutani to his right side. Muttering an apology, he grabbed what looked to be his plum wine, retreating just as fast.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was still standing. He held his glass aloft in one hand. “To our dear friend, Shinji, who finally turns twenty today.”</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki and Matsukawa, on either side of the birthday boy, each rubbed their hands over his shaved head, and he ducked away. Hinata couldn’t quite tell whether his face was flushed with blood or whether it was the red glow of the sunset painting over it. Or, quite possibly, it was the effects of the alcohol.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a valued member of our team and of our family”, Oikawa continued, “and I’m proud to be able to say that I’ve watched you grow into the young man you are today.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned a soft smile to where Watari was still hiding.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru raised his own drink. “To Shinji!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata clinked his glass with Kyoutani, to his right, and then Oikawa, to his left, and sipped. It was pleasant, fruity, and light, sweet enough that Hinata swallowed it down and then took another large gulp. It had been too long since he had had any of this, and he’d forgotten how much he liked it.</p><p> </p><p>“Happy birthday, bro!”, Shigeru cried, darting across the table to his friend. Hinata winced as the tumblers they each held nearly collided when they hugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, happy birthday”, Kyoutani said. He joined them from the other side, pulling them both in at an awkward angle.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring their display, Matsukawa turned to Kindaichi and Kunimi and asked; “Are you two even old enough to drink?”</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi made eye contact with him, a steely look entering his dark gaze. Without looking away, he raised his own glass to his lips and swallowed all of the liquid down, setting the empty tumbler on the table when he was finished. Kindaichi’s eyes went wide, and Matsukawa and Hanamaki guffawed.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was still standing, frowning down at him. “Alright, but if you get drunk again, I’m not dealing with it.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright”, Kindaichi mumbled, “he’s not a sloppy drunk. He just gets tired.”</p><p> </p><p>“And how is that any different from usual?”</p><p> </p><p>In unison, Kindaichi and Kunimi shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>The others settled back down into their seats and, with a heavy sigh, Oikawa also sat in his designated spot, stretching his legs out in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Turning to face Hinata, he remarked; “I think my advertising is paying off. We’re having a lot of groups coming around. How were they today?”</p><p> </p><p>"Fine." He shrugged. "They seemed to like it here." In truth, he hadn't garnered much in terms of feedback from them, although some of them had seemed enthusiastic when they looked out the windows and over the cliffs.</p><p> </p><p>“Remember when we used to have all of those groups coming here for water sports?”, asked Hanamaki.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa’s face flickered with equal parts recognition and amusement as he turned his head toward them. “Back when Yuda and the others were here, you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“What good times those were. When you guys first dragged me up here, who knew we’d be here now?” Oikawa spread his fingers wide, gesturing to the view in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>“Who knew?”, Hanamaki echoed.</p><p> </p><p>Watari groaned. “Oh no, they’re already starting to get sentimental.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru patted his shoulder with one hand. “It’s their age catching up with them, you see.”</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa scoffed. “I’ll have you know that I was the most sought-after young bachelor on the island at one point.”</p><p> </p><p>“Before Oikawa came here, you mean”, Hanamaki teased.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa winked at him, and Hanamaki blew a kiss back.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru and Watari hid their faces in their arms, muttering something to each other, and whatever Kyoutani overheard must have been amusing because he laughed like a hyena. Shigeru raised his head a little to give him an appreciative smile, his fierce eyes burning like tiny twin suns.</p><p> </p><p>On the opposite side of the semi-circle, Matsukawa kicked Oikawa’s outstretched legs, and Oikawa shrieked and pretended to pour his bottle of beer over Matsukawa.</p><p> </p><p>Kindaichi looked mildly shocked, although Hinata thought he should be used to it by now. Kunimi was smiling. He still hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to the younger boys, although he had been meaning to drag Shigeru and co to another volleyball game at some point. He made a mental note to do so soon.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata lazed back in the sun with his glass clasped in his hands, reveling in the chaos around him.</p><p> </p><p>“I heard something about your past today, Oikawa”, he commented, and it was enough to capture the attention of most of their small party.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru threw him a panicked look, falling silent where he, Watari and Kyoutani had been giggling together before.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa cocked his head. “Oh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep. I was talking to Bokuto and Kuroo. He said you used to work at the bar too, with them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, that was a long time ago.” Oikawa shook his head dismissively and then tried to surreptitiously fix his hair.</p><p> </p><p>“Bokuto and Kuroo”, Hanamaki repeated wonderingly. “Why did we ever stop hanging out with them?”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa hmphed in a rather childlike manner; “Because Kuroo is a slimy weasel and Bokuto broke my villa.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great guys, the pair of them”, Matsukawa said lightly. “We should invite them up here and spend more time with them.”</p><p> </p><p>“We should”, agreed Hanamaki.</p><p> </p><p>Narrowing his eyes at them, the owner of the villa sighed; "It feels like it's bully Oikawa day today."</p><p> </p><p>“When is it ever not?”</p><p> </p><p>“On the days that you two are mercifully absent.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, hurtful. You’d miss us if we weren’t here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe”, he relented. “But I do have Hinata now, and he doesn’t know about half of the stupid things I’ve done in my life.” Hinata had to bite his tongue from commenting at that. If only Oikawa knew.</p><p> </p><p>Stretching and standing, Oikawa asked; “Does anybody need another round?”</p><p> </p><p>There were enthusiastic nods. Oikawa did a double-take when he caught Kunimi nodding, and the boy met his gaze defiantly. Oikawa merely shook his head and turned to go back inside, walking around the side of the villa to the door.</p><p> </p><p>A couple of minutes later, the familiar noises of him moving about inside the kitchen sounded.</p><p> </p><p>As he made their drinks, Oikawa began to speak to them through the small kitchen window, telling a dramatic rendition of a story- which apparently Shigeru and Watari had heard frequently before, because they sporadically interrupted with various remembered details- about the time Hanamaki got stung by a jellyfish and thought he was dying. Every now and then Oikawa’s gleeful face popped into view, half-hidden by the glare of the sun on the windowpane. Hinata encouraged them with gasps and small amused sounds, thoroughly enjoying the tale.</p><p> </p><p>His face and hair pink in the sunlight, Hanamaki snapped; “Oikawa, come back outside, stop leaning out the window.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa pointed one finger at him. “You shut up, this is our gossip hole.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gossip hole?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think he could have phrased that any worse”, Matsukawa chuckled. His own dark curly hair seemed to be interwoven with threads of red-gold.</p><p> </p><p>Hanamaki sniffed. “On the contrary, I don't think he could have phrased it any better.”</p><p> </p><p>With a crack of finality, Oikawa closed the shutters on the window, only to gasp when one side pinged out of the frame and landed with a resolute thud on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Good riddance”, muttered Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>“This is elder abuse”, Oikawa choked out from inside, and Hinata remembered their conversation that morning.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re not that old, Oikawa”, he scolded. They really weren’t. Even if he was retired now.</p><p> </p><p>“Working with all of you has aged me. This place will put me in an early grave.”</p><p> </p><p>“Dad”, Shigeru began, his voice a high whine. “Dad, no, I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa vanished inside, and Hinata was momentarily concerned until he appeared around the side of the villa with another tray of drinks in his hands and a wink in his eye.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata began on his second drink, and as he felt his own mind mellowing out, the talk around him also grew softer, with longer pauses. The last dying rays of the sun called forth even more crickets chirping and bugs humming, and Hinata felt warm and boneless as he sank further into the lawn chair, contentment soaking through him.</p><p> </p><p>Without his meaning to, his eyelids drooped closed. He must have dozed off for quite a while, for when he opened them again, the sky above was lit only by a thin crescent moon; Hanamaki, Matsukawa and Watari were also fast asleep in their respective chairs; Kunimi and Kindaichi were helping Oikawa in gathering up empty bottles and glasses; and Shigeru and Kyoutani were wrapped up together in a fleece blanket, snoring softly with their heads resting together.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know that much about Tsubakihara sorry, but I do really love Aoi.</p><p>Also holy shit I just posted this and saw it's over 100k words... We haven't even got to the longer chapters after the guys arrive yet D:</p><p>I have about 20k words worth of essays due in January and I hope I have the same motivation for those!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Takeda Is Prone To Seasickness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sooooo I haven't updated this in forever... Sorry about that. Between essays and Christmas and lockdowns I've been busy, and fell a couple of weeks behind in my writing, and then this chapter took way longer to write than I anticipated because I just had 0 motivation after writing my first few essays, and it's just been a whole mess.</p><p>Honestly, I'm still not completely happy with this chapter, but I figured I'd better upload it. At some point in the future I may go over it and make a few small changes, but for now I just want to get it uploaded so that I can focus on the next few, which I'm hoping to get finished over the next couple of weeks once I'm back in class.</p><p>As always, thank you for reading and I hope you're well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata was beginning to wonder whether or not he should pay Kyoutani. It could always make things a little awkward between them if he offered, he knew, although he did feel bad not having done so already. It was the third time in as many weeks that the young man had been stood at the door to the outhouse, his broad shoulders stooped as he attempted to fix Hinata’s lock.</p><p> </p><p>Lazily, he swung his legs back and forth, his heels scraping across the floor from where he was sitting on the couch, watching the handyman at work.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani never spoke much, on these occasions. Hinata no longer worried that Kyoutani didn’t like him- Shigeru and Watari had assured him on a few occasions that he did, it was merely that Kyoutani was not a very affectionate person in general- but there was an air of awkwardness there that he did not feel with the rest of their little family.</p><p> </p><p>He decided it was perhaps time to stretch his legs, getting to his feet and making his way outside and brushing past the man at work as he did so.</p><p> </p><p>“Looking good, Kyoutani”, he announced, although he really had no clue what he was looking at. The look that the bleached blond gave him told him he knew as much. In response, Hinata threw up a thumbs up, before wilting and turning away as Kyoutani continued to stare at him.</p><p> </p><p>Well, maybe they weren’t going to be best friends any time soon. Yet, although there was the awkward air, Hinata could tell that they were both trying, which he appreciated. Kyoutani didn’t necessarily have to come and fix his lock: He had volunteered each time Hinata had mentioned that he had broken it, even though two of those times it had been his own fault for pushing on the door a little too hard when it got jammed.</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head and stared out over the hills, now a lush light green dappled with darker patches where the grass grew in thicker patches intermingled with weeds. A car was rolling down the road- not one that he recognized; probably from one of the neighboring buildings out in the fields- and he could hear the distant hum of its engine, the only sound breaking the otherwise content silence. Hinata traced its path with his eyes until it reached the nadir of the slope and disappeared under the shade of the leafy trees.</p><p> </p><p>A brown blob was barely distinguishable at the bottom of the hill. Hinata blinked, squinting, and raised one hand to his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>A goat was munching away at the grass.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata narrowed his eyes, automatically backing away a few steps. He could practically hear the boss battle music from one of the games Kenma liked to play.</p><p> </p><p>So, his nemesis had finally decided to return. He had wondered about it, vaguely: He had not seen it for some time, not since it had stolen a pair of his shorts from the washing line about a month before. Privately he had hoped it had migrated to greener pastures now that Spring was out in full force. Did goats migrate? He would have to get Natsu to ask Hotaru. She was interested in animals; or, she had been, when she was younger. How long ago had that been?</p><p> </p><p>“It’s the goat”, he muttered under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>The </em>goat?”, a voice asked behind him, and he jumped.</p><p> </p><p>He had half-forgotten that Kyoutani was there, and especially that he was within hearing distance.</p><p> </p><p>The young man was stood in the entrance of the outhouse, frowning at Hinata. As Hinata watched, his gaze traveled past and across to where he had been staring previously, clouds of confusion clustering on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean that goat? What about it?”</p><p> </p><p>“It…” Hinata didn’t know how to explain that the goat was a thief and that it clearly knew what it was doing. The last time he had advised some of the tourists to watch out for it, they had laughed as though he were joking. Besides, he didn’t want to give Kyoutani reason to think he was odd. “It’s a nice goat.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani stared at him for a moment, heavily-lined eyes narrowed. Then he shrugged. “I guess.” Hunching his shoulders, he turned back to the jamb of the door. “I like animals, but goats aren’t really top of my list.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was only half-listening. Now that he looked, really looked, it wasn’t <em>the </em>goat. That one had had many more white splotches on its fur. This one was largely brown, and a little smaller as well.</p><p> </p><p>He took a seat on one of the rocky steps nearby, resting his head in his hands. Slowly, the words Kyoutani had said began to sink in. He liked animals? That was a good starting point for a conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Timidly, scuffing his feet on the gravel leading down from the steps to the villa, Hinata asked; “What kind of animals do you like?”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani kept his back turned toward him as he replied. He was using a screwdriver to tighten some bolts, occasionally pausing and, although Hinata wasn’t entirely sure, he seemed to be trying to make sure that the metal plate sat right in the wall.</p><p> </p><p>“The usual. Dogs, cats. We used to get loads of strays around where I grew up. I used to feed them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” He tilted his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. They liked me. But there wasn’t a lot I could do for them, other than take them to the shelter. And then, for each one I took to the shelter or found a home, there would always be another one abandoned.” Kyoutani paused, glancing over his shoulder at Hinata. “That’s one of the reasons I came here, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“For the animals?” Hinata had noticed that most of the feral cats around did seem to be doing well for themselves; even the scrawnier ones seemed healthy, not flea-bitten or mangy.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani shrugged, a single jerk of his shoulders. “City life just didn’t really suit me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Personally, Hinata had always liked the hustle and bustle of busy areas, of being surrounded by people. However, he also could completely understand the people who preferred the quiet company of animals. Even extroverts like him needed a break now and then. “Do you think that you and Shigeru will get any pets?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah. We’re planning to stay here, so I doubt we’ll have the time to take care of one. But there’s a lot of wildlife around.”</p><p> </p><p>“There is!” Hinata nodded, grinning. “My friend Bokuto was telling me about all of the little baby animals being born up at the reserve!” Hinata hadn’t known half of the animals he had mentioned, as the two of them sat and ate ice cream at the beach a few days ago, but they had sounded cute.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani opened his mouth, and Hinata thought that he might be about to ask a question. Before he could, there came several small clacking sounds as the pattering of stones raining down the steps behind him had them both turning and glancing up.</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi stood at the top of the rocky stairs, his hands inside the pockets of his slouchy sweatpants. Over the last couple of weeks, his hair had grown out a bit, and he now combed it all over to one side in a long curtain that flopped over one dark eye when he tilted his head.</p><p> </p><p>Kindaichi, beside him, hopped down the steps, and Kunimi followed with a slower gait.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Kentarou!”, Kindaichi enthused. “Hi, Hinata!”</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi nodded. “Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you up to?”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them stopped by the spot Hinata sat in, dwarfing him as they peered down.</p><p> </p><p>“I just woke up about an hour ago”, Hinata admitted, craning his neck back to meet their eyes. He’d been free the last few days: Oikawa had given him time off since he had been working so hard for the past couple of months, although he was due to be picking up a couple of guys who were coming in on the afternoon ferry. “Kyoutani is fixing my lock."</p><p> </p><p>“Again”, said Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>“Again.”</p><p> </p><p>“How do you keep breaking it?”, asked Kunimi, an edge of exasperation in his voice.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s hands came up to run through his hair. “It’s not my fault! I think it’s just a really bad place to put a lock, maybe.” He squinted at Kyoutani for confirmation.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t receive any. Instead, Kyoutani wiped his hands down on his overalls and said; “Honestly, you’re lucky that your keys didn’t break off inside the lock this time. I don’t have a clue how it keeps happening.” He shook his head. “I think you just have really, really bad luck. Either that or there’s something I’m missing.”</p><p> </p><p>“I had a key break inside a lock for me once, when I was at university", said Kindaichi. “I had to sit outside in the cold and wait for the repairman to come.”</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi looked at him. “Oh yeah, you messaged me.”</p><p> </p><p>“And you were too lazy to get out of bed to let me in at yours.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was sleeping, I didn’t see your messages until after.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you claim.”</p><p> </p><p>They began speaking to each other quietly, and Hinata tuned out, focusing back on Kyoutani. It looked as though he were nearly done with the lock, opening and closing the door to check that it would glide smoothly. Hinata decided to make another effort to establish a conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Standing and loping forward a few steps, he said; “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you. About the wedding. Oikawa said it wouldn’t be a real wedding. So, what exactly is happening?”</p><p> </p><p>He had been curious but had not wanted to ask Shigeru: With each passing day, the boy seemed increasingly stressed by the wedding preparations. Last weekend Hinata had seen him spend two hours staring at a wedding magazine before throwing it in the trash, and he had been snapping at the others a lot more. Even Watari walked on eggshells around his best friend, and Hanamaki and Matsukawa had whispered to Hinata that he was turning into a 'groomzilla'. Whatever that meant.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani froze as soon as he spoke, and remained that way for a few seconds. Then, he shrugged. “Well, we can’t actually get married, but we’re going to make it as official as we can get. One of us is going to have to change our name, although we still haven’t decided who yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to have a ceremony?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re definitely having a party, and we want to exchange our vows at least.” Kyoutani spoke slowly and patiently, in a manner that was almost rehearsed. His dark-ringed eyes were focused on the ground in front of his feet. “But we haven’t decided how much of a ceremony we’re having either yet, if that makes sense.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata nodded, humming. What they did was up to them, really.</p><p> </p><p>“You’d better decide quickly”, Kunimi said, his voice raised slightly to reach them, his tone verging on teasing. “Less than two months to go now.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyotani smiled a little. “Yeah. I think in a lot of ways Shigeru is relaxed about certain details and more worried about others.”</p><p> </p><p>“How do you mean?”, asked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed as though Kyoutani struggled with his words for a few minutes, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. “He seems more focused on the specifics than the big picture. You know, he has a real vision of exactly how he wants everything to go.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed. If Kyoutani only knew.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s… Good, I suppose.” Kindaichi’s eyes were wide.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, Kyoutani said quietly.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned to him. “What about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“As long as Shigeru shows up, I’m happy.” He laughed, and Hinata felt a tiny spark of relief. Hopefully, Kyoutani wouldn’t mind too much about the secret they were keeping, then: To the best of his knowledge Shigeru still had not told his fiancé, only speaking about his plans around Hinata and Watari.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you guys coming up for breakfast?”, Kindaichi asked, hopping back up onto the first step.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a bit of a late breakfast”, said Hinata, “but yes, I’ll come up in just a moment.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani shook his head. “I already ate.”</p><p> </p><p>An idea struck Hinata, and he turned to the two younger men.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you two up to today?” Although they helped out around the villa, the two of them tended to go off and do their own thing mostly in their free time. Hinata had seen them swimming down by the bay over the last few days, occasionally with Watari. A good idea, now that the weather was turning from warm to hot.</p><p> </p><p>“Not much.” Kunimi raised one eyebrow. “Why? Do you need a hand with something?” He sounded almost as though he were afraid of the answer.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you feel about a game of volleyball? I’ve been meaning to ask.”</p><p> </p><p>“Volleyball?" Kunimi did not exactly sound enthusiastic.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tried not to feel discouraged, continuing to beam at them. Of course, if they didn’t want to, he would accept that. But he could think of no reason why they wouldn’t. “Yeah!”</p><p> </p><p>Over the past few weeks, when he had had the time to do so, he had been trying to organize a series of games. Unfortunately, only Bokuto and Kuroo had been able to join him- asides from that one time when he tried to teach Yachi and Yamaguchi to serve and they almost knocked each other out, spending the next half an hour frantically apologising to each other. Kuroo had also played before, apparently: He was a good blocker, Hinata had to admit, if a little rigid at times. He was good enough to frustrate Bokuto, at least, which was something.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s do it!”, Kindaichi cried, bouncing onto the balls of his feet so that he appeared even taller than usual.</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Hinata felt his lips turning up in a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi glanced up at his friend, eyes as wide as Hinata’s own. “Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! I’m always up for a challenge.” The man grinned, and he grinned back.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata decided; “Great, we’ll get some food and go down to the beach, then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, you mean it’s outside?” Hinata could have sworn he saw Kunimi do a double-take.</p><p> </p><p>He tilted his head. “Why wouldn’t it be?”</p><p> </p><p>Kunimi let his face change from unsure to despairing as the only response.</p><p> </p><p>A few footsteps and a soft voice from behind Hinata reminded him of the reason he had been waiting there.</p><p> </p><p>“Your lock is fixed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you!” Hinata gave Kyoutani a half-smile. “Let’s see how long this one lasts, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>Just as he spoke, there came a loud snapping noise. Initially, Hinata was unsure of the source. Only, when he looked in through the doorway, he saw that the interior of the outhouse had gone pitch black: The lamp bracketed on the wall must have blown.</p><p> </p><p>It was with a sheepish grin that he looked back at Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>Without a word, Kyoutani reached for the toolbox and marched inside.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>By this point, Hinata was in the routine of going down to the docks to pick people up.</p><p> </p><p>Somehow, he still managed to run a little late occasionally. Even though it was the afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>To be fair, he had spent the past hour sorting through the store cupboards with Kyoutani and then running back and forth between his room, clambering up a stepladder to see which bulb would fit, then screwing the fixture back into place. So much for his plans of playing volleyball.</p><p> </p><p>So, by the time he remembered that he only had five minutes before the afternoon ferry came in, Hinata already felt as though he had done a whole day’s work.</p><p> </p><p>He parked up at his usual spot and found that at the docks, most of the people had already disembarked from the boat. Low clouds were gathering in the skies, and he hoped that he would quickly be able to identify their guests and get them up to the villa, before the heavens unleashed rain upon them.</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, Oikawa had told him the evening before, these two men were guests that he was rather interested in; or, rather, their company was something that he was interested in. He had asked Hinata to be especially welcoming with them.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced at the note he had made, of one of the men’s name, and then glanced about the people loitering around by the docks.</p><p> </p><p>There was one man who seemed to be watching out for somebody: An older man with reddish hair and bright eyes. He wore clothes that would not look out of place on a backpacker on a world tour.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata approached him. “Hi, are you Ukai Keishin?”</p><p> </p><p>The man’s eyebrows raised, and he stared down at Hinata for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s stomach plummeted. This was the first time he had gotten it wrong. “Ah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, did you say Ukai Keishin?”, a voice called, and Hinata waved an apology to the man as he turned toward it.</p><p> </p><p>Standing several feet away was a man, maybe in his late forties, only slightly taller than Hinata. He wore smudged square glasses, and his dark hair had gray streaks peeking through. A large, professional-looking camera hung about his neck, the thick black strap cutting across the pale lines of his white button-down shirt.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Hinata brightened as he hurried toward him. “I did. Are you Ukai?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh- no. I’m Takeda.” Hinata stared at him, tilting his head to one side. Why would this man respond to that name if it wasn’t his?</p><p> </p><p>His unvoiced question was answered when Takeda gestured to somebody beside him. “This is Ukai Keishin.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked up at the person he was indicating to. He was taller than either Hinata or Takeda, with dyed blond hair that was slicked back, any loose hairs held in place by a dark headband that rested on the crest of his head. His skin was tanned, a light dusting of freckles spilling out from under his red t-shirt- evidence of time spent in the sun that Hinata was so familiar with- and studded with piercings in either ear. His lips were set in a thin line that did not reveal much as to what he was thinking.</p><p> </p><p>In short, he was the total opposite of the demure man with mussed hair who stood to his side, hands clasped in front of him and a pleasant smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>And, Hinata thought, neither of them was what he expected of wedding planners.</p><p> </p><p>Regardless, Hinata had seen far stranger things in his life. He stepped forward, extending one hand to each of them in turn and beaming when they each shook it.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, I’m Hinata! It’s great to meet you. Oikawa sent me to collect you guys and bring you back to the Villa.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda nudged his glasses further up on his round nose. “Lead, the way, please.”</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them had a lot of luggage: Just a backpack slung over each of their shoulders. Hinata didn’t bother offering to carry them as they made their way over to the small minibus.</p><p> </p><p>“You can sit up in the front with me if you like, since it’s just the two of you.” He paused. “Might want to throw your packs in the back, though.”</p><p> </p><p>They did as he requested, and Hinata soon found himself stepping lightly on the gas pedal and listening as the engine sputtered to life, Takeda pressed up on his left side where he was sandwiched between Hinata and Ukai.</p><p> </p><p>The first few minutes of the drive were completed in silence. Hinata watched in the rear-view mirror as the promenade and small buildings near the docks were replaced by trees. He fiddled with the radio when they were on the open stretch of the main highway, turning it up a few notches.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai coughed. “So, er, what’s your name again?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Hinata Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head. “Oh, no, I meant him.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned. Who else was there?</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Takeda Ittetsu”, the dark-haired man answered.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s brow furrowed, and something dawned on him. “Ah. Do you two… Not know each other?”</p><p> </p><p>Were they not the co-workers Oikawa had told him to collect?</p><p> </p><p>“We work for a large company”, Takeda explained. “I’m usually in the Sendai branch: I only came to Tokyo recently. This is our first time meeting face to face, rather than by email.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai snorted. “Well, really, our first time meeting each other was you nearly puking on me on the boat.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry. I'm prone to seasickness. Thank you for sitting with me.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata winced sympathetically. “I was the same, on my way over here. I don’t have the strongest stomach.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda made a soft noise, close to a hum, of agreement.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them fell into light conversation. Hinata still thought it was odd that they would send them together when they barely knew each other, and he told them so.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Takeda is the best we have, so of course they would send him to check out some new locations”, Ukai noted quietly.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda’s cheeks took on a pink hue. “We mainly work in urban areas, but our client specifically requested this island, so we’re coming to check it out.” He raised the camera around his neck and flashed it at Hinata with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>On his other side, Hinata could just catch a glimpse of Ukai’s quarter-profile whenever he glanced over to the wing mirror. The blond held still, watching out of the window as Hinata had on his first visit there.</p><p> </p><p>As they began climbing the cliffs to the villa, he produced a cigarette and a lighter.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, you can’t smoke in here”, Hinata murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, shit, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>He tucked them away, wiping his palms on his pants. Hinata wondered whether he was alright, and sincerely hoped he was not going to be one of the guests that they would have to clean up after.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t smoke in the rooms at the villa either”, he added, just in case.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’s fine, I just-” Ukai stopped mid-sentence, seemingly unable to find a justification. When Hinata glanced over again, he had gone back to resolutely staring out of the window.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda caught Hinata’s eye and gave him a small smile before looking away.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as they had pulled up in the gravelly area out front, Hinata handed them their backpacks and asked them to wait in the courtyard for a moment and enjoy the view while he ran in to get their keys.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda gave him a polite nod. Ukai immediately lit the cigarette he had not had the chance to have before.</p><p> </p><p>Inside of the reception, Oikawa was sat at the desk, leafing through one of the guestbooks and scratching his chin with a pen.</p><p> </p><p>Chocolate eyes flitted up to meet Hinata’s own as he approached, one eyebrow raising quizzically in a manner that was now familiar.</p><p> </p><p>“Those guests are here”, Hinata answered. “Where shall I put them?”</p><p> </p><p>He had learned that it was best to ask: One time he had grabbed a key at random when nobody else had been at the desk, only to discover he had put them in a room that had already been booked by somebody else. A lot of guests had been shuffled about that day, and Hinata had spent a lot of time apologizing for it.</p><p> </p><p>There was always the book where they logged who was in which room, but that seemed to mysteriously hop about the reception depending on who had used it last, and Hinata hadn’t learned all of its hiding places just yet. Besides, there was usually someone around, and so he normally just went to them for help. After all, he technically wasn’t a real employee there.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was squinting up at him. “Hmm.”</p><p> </p><p>He jumped to his feet and strode down the hall, peering through the doorway at the two men. Takeda stood with his camera still slung about his neck, Ukai smoking and tapping his foot to one side. As they watched, Takeda raised one hand and pointed in the direction of the ocean.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa returned to the desk and leafed through the book momentarily, before looking back up at Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m putting them in Room Ten.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata pictured it. Being in such a small room was not so bad when you were with somebody you knew well, he supposed. But for these two…</p><p> </p><p>“No, you can’t do that, they barely know each other!”</p><p> </p><p>And he had thought Oikawa wanted to treat these guests well.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s why I’m doing it.” Oikawa’s grin was positively evil. “Just be glad I’m not telling them there was a mix-up and we only have a double available.”</p><p> </p><p>“You would do that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, no.” Hinata watched his broad shoulders shrug as he turned to where they kept the keys. “But maybe.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sighed. “This is why you don’t get more customers.”</p><p> </p><p>One hand shot out, reaching to smack him around the back of the head. When Hinata pouted, Oikawa chuckled and held the key out instead. Hinata held his hands flat, palms-up, and Oikawa dropped it into them.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, I have your key!”, he announced as he bustled back outside. “Let’s go up. You’re in Room Ten!”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai stubbed out his cigarette, and the two of them followed him through the main reception, throwing curious glances at Oikawa on the way past. The owner of the villa waved at them, waggling his fingers, but made no move to introduce himself, and so Hinata ignored him.</p><p> </p><p>Upstairs, he unlocked Room Ten and held his breath as he watched the polite trying-to-hold-back-a-complaint looks dawning on their faces.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s… Nice”, Takeda said eventually, stepping through and depositing his backpack on one bed. His face held a more natural smile the next time he locked eyes with Hinata. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned his gaze to Ukai, who scratched at the back of his head with fingertips that Hinata was just noticing were slightly stained.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai coughed. “Great. Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll leave you to get settled in. If there’s anything you need, please let me know. If you need me, I’ll be in that small building down by the cliff.”</p><p> </p><p>They nodded at Hinata, perplexed expressions intensifying on their faces. The two of them were stood on opposite sides of the room, almost as far away as they could get from each other in that shoebox.</p><p> </p><p>He tried to push the guilt away as he closed the door and walked away, but it followed him all the way back down the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>As he entered the reception, he shot Oikawa a glare.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring him, Oikawa leaned his chin in his hand, sighed dreamily, and said; “Room Ten jobs are my favorite ones.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The best thing about Yamaguchi’s room was the heavy blinds that blocked out the light from outside, Hinata decided. Perfect for watching movies. And so much comfier than a cinema, too, with the long beanbag that he was currently nestled in to.</p><p> </p><p>At the other end of the beanbag-couch from Hinata was Yachi. They had opted to leave the middle seat for Yamaguchi when he came back from wherever else in the apartment he had vanished off to.</p><p> </p><p>Like the apartment itself, Yamaguchi’s room was small and cozy, painted green and draped in a lot of blankets, three of which had now found their way to cover Hinata’s legs. It was the first time he had been there, yet it already reminded him of home. They used to have something similar to this, a long time ago, before mom sold the old house and moved into the cottage. If Hinata closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that little Natsu was going to come running in around his legs, begging her big brother Shouyou to help her with dressing up her dolls. Outside, the rain that had threatened earlier pattered against the window panes, the steady drumming only contributing to the atmosphere.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I was late.” Hinata snuggled further under the blankets stretching across his lap. “These new people came to the villa and I was late picking them up because the bulb in my room exploded.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no”, said Yachi. “Another one?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep. I think there must be a wiring problem or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or you’re just really unlucky.”</p><p> </p><p>The floorboards creaked as Yamaguchi carefully picked his way across the messy floor, finally settling down in between his friends.</p><p> </p><p>“I could maybe take a look if you want”, he offered.</p><p> </p><p>“You?” Hinata blinked at him. “Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I used to be an electrician.”</p><p> </p><p>He tried not to sound too surprised. “You did what?”</p><p> </p><p>Somehow, he just couldn’t picture Yamaguchi crawling around in wall cavities with a torch.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Yamaguchi laughed. “I took these college courses and everything.”</p><p> </p><p>“How come you stopped?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt more than saw him shrug. “There just wasn’t a lot of trade on the island. And sometimes electricians come over from the mainland, too. I didn’t have too many customers. I like working at the tourism center, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“How long ago was that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I stopped maybe five years ago?” Another short chuckle came, close to Hinata’s left ear. “I wasn’t all that good at it, either.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled. “Maybe you shouldn’t take a look, then.”</p><p> </p><p>“It might not even be the wires”, mused Yachi. “It could be that Hinata’s just unlucky.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or it's a ghost.” Yamaguchi lowered his voice. “A couple of times, when I couldn’t find anything wrong with a house, I did wonder…”</p><p> </p><p>The image of Yamaguchi crawling about in the dark with a torch came back to him, and he shuddered. Hinata knew that, realistically, it was more likely that Yamaguchi’s clients had simply not understood how to use the lights properly, but the idea that there could be some unknown entity messing with things was creepy. And the thought of something like that happening up at the villa… Well, it was an old building. The ruins out in the forest and the echoing music late at night didn’t exactly detract from a potential creep factor.</p><p> </p><p>“A ghost?”, Yachi whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared at them. “You think I’m being haunted?</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi’s eyes were too wide and earnest for him to just be messing with Hinata. “Maybe somebody died at the outhouse and Oikawa just doesn’t want to say.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think you would probably know”, Hinata replied, trying to keep the mood light, “with the amount of time you spend up there.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t go up there that much, only when it’s quiet!”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi gasped. “Yamaguchi could be a ghost and we wouldn’t even know. Come to think of it, I never saw you around much before Hinata introduced us.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Hinata leaned forward to meet her gaze. “I thought you knew each other?”</p><p> </p><p>“Vaguely. He came in a few times.” She shrugged and then turned a bemused smile on the man in queston. “I can’t believe we were never friends before.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi placed one hand over his heart. “It was the magic of Hinata that brought us together.”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding faux-wisely, Yachi agreed; “True.”</p><p> </p><p>A light blush rose to Hinata’s cheeks. It was sweet of them to say, even if it was just a joke.</p><p> </p><p>Picking up the remote, he asked; “So, what do you guys want to watch?”</p><p> </p><p>“We need to start something new, right?” Yachi leaned her head on the couch, letting her ponytail splay across the back of it.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah”, sighed Hinata. It was a shame. The last drama they had watched had such a bittersweet ending that Hinata could hardly stand it. They had gotten into the habit of watching them together, mostly romantic comedies. The number of them that started off light-hearted and then made the three of them cry was embarrassing. They mostly watched Japanese ones, some Korean and Chinese, and a few American ones too. “Maybe a comedy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not a horror.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata began making his way through the list, watching the titles whizzing past. They had already viewed an embarrassing number of them.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop me if you see one you like”, he said.</p><p> </p><p>Somebody said; “See one you like of what?”</p><p> </p><p>Takinoue stood in the doorway with a grin stretched across his face. He was dressed for work, a long apron that had a rather disturbing image of a chopped-up pig on the front worn over plain black clothing. A moment later Shimada appeared, blinking.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s dark in here, isn’t it?” The bespectacled man tilted his head and crossed his arms, leaning against one side of the door. “You should turn the lights up or you’ll strain your eyes.”</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi shook his head lazily at his roommates. “It’s better like this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it’s like being at the cinema!”, Hinata enthused. That was something he had admittedly missed: There was no cinema on the island, in comparison to the plethora he had to choose from back in Brazil.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright”, said Shimada. “Well, we’re just about to head out in about half an hour. Do you guys want any snacks or anything?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m okay.” Yamaguchi looked to either side, prompting his guests to answer.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi smiled. “I’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’ll see you later, then.” Takinoue waved and spun slowly on one foot, loping away down the hall. Shimada gave them a nod before following.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them sat in silence until they heard the front door close, at which point Yachi and Hinata swapped looks and started to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not funny”, Yamaguchi huffed.</p><p> </p><p>“They totally do, though.” Yachi giggled. “You can see it, right Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata immediately knew which of their previous conversations she was referring to. “They kind of do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do not.”</p><p> </p><p>“They really treat you like you’re their kid”, he insisted, nudging Yamaguchi’s shoulder when his friend turned away from him.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi pretended to sulk for a moment until a grin broke through.</p><p> </p><p>“Aw. It was sweet of them to offer, though”, said Yachi.</p><p> </p><p>“Speaking of snacks…” Hinata fished about in the backpack he had slung down the side of the couch, ready to reveal his trump card for the day. “One of my friends from Brazil sent me these.”</p><p> </p><p>It was the first contact he had received from Pedro since he returned home, and it had been completely unexpected. Hinata had not been quite sure how to feel upon opening the box and finding some of the favorite snacks that the two of them used to keep around the house, and the photos: Photos of them and their friends, photos of places they used to visit. The only concrete thought he had, after going through it all, was that he should probably put together a box to send back.</p><p> </p><p>Crinkling sounds as a packet was torn open made Hinata jump.</p><p> </p><p>“From Brazil?” Yachi gasped. “So cool!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata placed most of the dozen or so bags and boxes in Yamaguchi’s lap so that they could all reach, and laughed at some of the faces Yamaguchi and Yachi pulled; particularly when they tried one of the soft drinks he had included, trying to guess the flavor.</p><p> </p><p>“They actually sell this here, too”, he told them. “But not in many places, I don’t think.”</p><p> </p><p>He wished Pedro had somehow managed to include some barbecued meat, although he understood why that would not really be possible.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them tore through the food with surprising ferocity for people who had claimed not to be hungry just moments before.</p><p> </p><p>For Hinata, he had never loved a lot of the things Pedro included but they were suddenly nostalgia-inducing, the flavors blooming across his tongue as images bloomed in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>After a large sugar rush and some further debate, they settled on watching a movie about a girl who could contact the past via a telephone. It was a little scarier than Hinata would usually watch and he shrunk into Yamaguchi’s side slightly, gripping at his arm after a jump scare. He could see Yachi’s eyes, unblinking, glinting in the dark on Yamaguchi’s other side.</p><p> </p><p>The movie was interesting, but the credits did not come soon enough. However, mercifully, they eventually began to roll.</p><p> </p><p>All Hinata could hear was their breathing in the dark. The rain must have stopped.</p><p> </p><p>“Should we put the lights back on?”, Yachi whispered.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. If you want.” Hinata was still shaking, his fingers twisting in the blankets.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi looked from one to the other, the outline of his face and his freckles just visible from the light of the screen, and then sighed and got up to do it.</p><p> </p><p>While he was standing, Yachi inched closer. “Hey, Hinata.” He looked at her. “Remember when you told me about that secret?”</p><p> </p><p>“What secret?”</p><p> </p><p>“The one that was stressing you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” He remembered. Of course he remembered. Shigeru’s invitations, all returned and accepted. “Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Has it been resolved yet?”, she asked.</p><p> </p><p>“No. I think Shigeru is just deliberately not mentioning it.” And the day was drawing ever closer. It was the end of April now. Was it next week that they would be arriving, or the week afer? He could not recall. And he still had no clue what Shigeru was even planning to do with them when they were here.</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi nestled back in between them, drawing the blankets over himself and settling his arms on top of them. “What secret are you guys talking about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it’s nothing.” Hinata dropped his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>The fewer people that knew about it, the better. He trusted Yamaguchi, but things had a way of getting around, and he wouldn’t want to be the source of gossip.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it’s really nothing.” Yachi smiled reassuringly. “It’s not even anything to do with me, I found out by accident, but I promised I wouldn’t tell.” It was a little white lie, but Hinata figured it would not hurt to put Yamaguchi off.</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” Yamaguchi shrugged, face falling, and for a moment Hinata was worried that he might be upset at being denied, but he only picked up the remote and turned to the TV. “Do you want to try and find an actual comedy now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, please”, enthused Yachi.</p><p> </p><p>Although Yachi and Yamaguchi swiftly entered into a debate as to which show they should choose, Hinata found he was unable to concentrate. His traitorous stomach, after so many weeks of peace, began to ache.</p><p> </p><p>This situation with Shigeru’s potential fathers already had him lying to Yamaguchi, and Hinata really hated lying to his friends. Who knew what else it was going to have him doing over the next few weeks?</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Ukai Is From Our Island</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ahhhh it's been so long since I updated this, sorry. I've still been having a few issues with my laptop, but it seems to be working now. Also, I've had that awful problem where I had one chapter (the next one) completely written out but just had no motivation to write this one so couldn't post either lol</p><p>But it's finally done now so :))) hope you're well and that you enjoy this! I'll upload the next one shortly!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The dining hall was empty except for Takeda and Ukai when Hinata entered the next morning. They sat side by side, tucking into their breakfast without looking at each other.</p><p> </p><p>He gave them an awkward wave before loading up his plate, just with eggs and rice and a little salad, and taking a seat on the opposite side of the room. Takeda waved back and, when Takeda nudged him, so did Ukai.</p><p> </p><p>They ate in silence, Hinata glancing through his phone and responding to messages from old friends in Brazil.</p><p> </p><p>“How was your night?”, he asked when he had finished. The two guests still had not spoken, and he felt bad abandoning them to the awkward atmosphere that surrounded them when he was right there.</p><p> </p><p>“It was alright.” Ukai shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda gave an apologetic smile. “It’s certainly… Cozy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Haha, yeah.” Hinata rubbed at the back of his head. Maybe he should ask Oikawa about changing them to another room. But then, wouldn’t that look suspicious?</p><p> </p><p>Deciding a change of subject might be best, he leaned against the chair opposite Ukai, one hand resting on the back, to ask; “So, do you have anything planned for today?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we have a free day”, Takeda sighed. “We’re scouting locations from tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Ukai added; “I was planning to maybe go to the beach.” He raised an eyebrow in Takeda’s direction in invitation.</p><p> </p><p>His colleague appeared not to notice. Rather, he was still staring up at Hinata, eyes wide behind his glasses. “Is there anywhere you’d recommend?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, how about we show you around? There are so many sights I can take you to! I can only spare a few hours but if you have plans already then that will be perfect!”</p><p> </p><p>All three of them jumped at the sound of Oikawa’s voice. Hinata could not help the startled laugh that ripped free of his lips when he saw his boss’s lean form peering around the door from the kitchen, a mischievous grin stretching across his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, we couldn’t possibly-”, Takeda began, at the same time as Ukai said; “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a bother at all. Right, Shouyou?”</p><p> </p><p>Fixed with Oikawa’s intense stare, Hinata found himself internally panicking. He prayed his smile was suitably wide.</p><p> </p><p>“Hospitality is what we’re here for”, he agreed brightly, a small chuckle forcing its way out alongside the words.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa appeared fully in the doorway, folding his arms over his chest. “Well, then, that’s settled. Come on.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda and Ukai returned to their room and, five minutes later, met Hinata and Oikawa down by the minibus, Takeda sporting his camera and Ukai with a backpack. Hinata opened up the back for them before joining Oikawa up front.</p><p> </p><p>The drive down to the town was livelier than any other Hinata had taken: He had never really gone out with Oikawa driving before. His landlord waved one hand exaggeratedly as he spoke, often twisting in his seat to speak to their guests. Hinata found himself clutching at the seat below him, even when the road was clear. He blushed a little when Oikawa informed their guests that Hinata had been a professional beach volleyball player in Brazil, an almost proud tone entering his voice, and had been glad when he moved on to speaking about the island.</p><p> </p><p>“We aren’t the only town, but this is the main port that people arrive by so, generally, you do have to pass through here. There’s another big town right down south, and several villages dotted around the ring road on the island. One of them on the Eastern coast has a lot of traditional dancers, you must visit”, he enthused, barely pausing for a breath. “Right in the center of the island we have some wonderful natural hot springs, and up north especially there are many areas for hiking- which is perfect in this weather, warm but not too hot!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gaped at him. Was he supposed to be telling guests all of this? He was just beginning to understand that, while the isle was small in comparison, he had barely explored a quarter of it.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did you want to stop first?”, Oikawa mused, adjusting the rear-view mirror so as to make eye contact with the passengers in the back; or, so Hinata presumed from the angle.</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, I sort of wanted a quiet day”, Ukai said. His dark eyes stared straight ahead. “It’s our day off. As I said, I was thinking of just relaxing at the beach.”</p><p> </p><p>“How about we compromise? I’ll stop off in the main town so you can have a look around and we can walk to the beach from there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that sounds okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like a plan!”, Takeda agreed good-naturedly.</p><p> </p><p>Briefly, Hinata wondered whether they would be up for playing volleyball when they got to the beach but bit his tongue before he could ask. They wanted to relax. He could totally do that.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa pulled the minibus into a small parking lot that Hinata hadn’t even known existed, not far, if he remembered correctly, from the strip of bars and clubs, and they clambered out.</p><p> </p><p>“This is our beautiful town!”, he announced, waving one hand and nearly hitting a man walking past in the face.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda raised his camera and snapped a picture across the street of a couple of small stores.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s great”, Ukai muttered. Although he sounded cheerful, Hinata could tell he was gritting his teeth. Perhaps he was one of the unfortunate people who was put off by Oikawa’s admittedly abrasive personality and therefore would never bother getting to know him better. That would be a shame.</p><p> </p><p>Even as he thought that he noticed Ukai freezing, his eyes going wide as they stared off into the distance.</p><p> </p><p>Craning his neck, Hinata tried to follow his gaze to see what had caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>There was nothing obvious that stood out. A small statue in the shape of a long-beaked bird, a few storefronts on the other side of the road that were all brightly colored: Nothing out of the ordinary.</p><p> </p><p>Dimly, Hinata noted a deep red motorbike roaring past that he recognized; it was the loud girl with short blonde hair that worked at the bar sometimes. He had seen her occasionally when visiting with Bokuto and Kuroo over the last several weeks. While he was sure Kuroo had introduced them at one point, and she had shown the group of them that had stood talking pictures of her new bike, he could not remember her name at all. She certainly looked different now, clad in a leather jacket and black jeans, but the bike was unmistakable.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’re only here to scout a few sites for a couple that wants to get married here”, Ukai was saying when Hinata tuned back into the conversation. “They can’t make it over because they’re busy with work, so we’ve been sent to do the work for them.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa turned to them. “Oh, yes, you’re wedding planners, aren’t you? My son is getting married soon, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda’s eyes lit up. Hinata thought, rather amusedly, that it was nice to see someone so passionate about their job: That sort of enthusiasm felt rare these days. Though, he supposed it was easier to get excited for something like wedding planning than for it would be for the standard office job.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, really?”, Takeda gasped. “How lovely!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I’m very happy for him. Which places are your clients interested in?”</p><p> </p><p>“There are some cliffs up on the other side of the island where there’s an old temple, that is meant to be especially beautiful.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm, yes.” Oikawa smiled. They were almost at the beach now, the sidewalk turning parallel to the promenade framing the sand. “It’s not that old, really: It had only just been built when I came here. Low doors. My friend and I went there when it was still new, and he could just walk in but I hit my head on the door.” A laugh rang out through the crisp air. “He always used to be so annoyed that I was-” He stopped. “It’s beautiful there.” Turning to Hinata, he added; “It’s part of a park- not like the one where Bokuto works- a forest park.”</p><p> </p><p>That sounded so cool! Hinata regretted not checking out the other brochures in the tourist center.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we could go there now?”, he suggested. It could be fun, with the four of them.</p><p> </p><p>“Takeda and I are going tomorrow already”, Ukai reminded him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, and it’s kind of far.” Oikawa shrugged. “You can’t drive right up to it. Have to walk most of the way through the trees. Lots of stairs, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata scoffed. “I’m not afraid of stairs.”</p><p> </p><p>“I might be. Depending on how many there are.” Takeda bit his lip sheepishly, then turned straight to Oikawa. “Have you been there recently?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. Not for a long time. I’ve heard it’s still quite the sight, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“What actually makes something a good wedding venue?”, Hinata wondered. He looked to Ukai, partly because he was stood closest and partly because Hinata wanted to include him more in the conversation: He had seemed a little reticent thus far, the opposite of Takeda's open sense of wonder.</p><p> </p><p>However, the man simply shrugged, raising one hand to run over his bleached hair. “Don’t ask me. I deal with the finer details.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Oho?”</p><p> </p><p>Waving one hand, he elaborated; “I mostly deal with seating, the tables, the décor. That sort of thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“He comes in once I’m finished with my part.” If Takeda was not smiling so contently, Hinata would have thought he was teasing.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai smirked. "Your part being begging the people who own the sites for a discount."</p><p> </p><p>"I prefer to call it haggling."</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked between the two of them. “So you two had really never met before?”</p><p> </p><p>They each shook their heads.</p><p> </p><p>“First time.” Takeda rubbed at the back of his drink and turned to Ukai. “Can I have my drink?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai pulled the backpack from his shoulders and swung it around to the front of his body so that Takeda could unzip it. He removed a silver flask and took a sip.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for carrying it for me.”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem.”</p><p> </p><p>They reached the beach and wandered along the shoreline, Takeda snapping photos now and then. At several points they had to shoulder their way through small crowds: It had gotten far busier as Spring stretched on.</p><p> </p><p>There was little talking amongst their group, asides from Takeda and Ukai occasionally murmuring to each other. Takeda tried to ask Hinata a few questions about Brazil, only for Ukai to tell him to leave Hinata alone, he probably didn’t want to answer Takeda’s inquiries; which led Hinata to wonder how well they’d gotten to know each other the night before. Takeda had apologized and Hinata told him it was fine, yet internally he was quite glad: He never thought he'd get tired of telling people about Brazil, but it was starting to grate on him, mostly because they asked the same questions, focusing on the country itself and the fear and loneliness he must have felt rather than the actual volleyball.</p><p> </p><p>After fifteen minutes or so of walking, they looped back and began to head toward the main town. Hinata let Oikawa lead the way, and neither of the others complained.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we should start doing weddings up at the villa”, Oikawa mused. He had his hands in the pockets of his shorts, shoulders back and eyes bright behind the sunglasses he had produced. “What do you reckon, Shouyou?”</p><p> </p><p>“It would be good for business.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai stroked his chin with one finger, contemplating. “You do have a nice view up there. It could be cool, with the cliffs and all. And you have a large outdoor area, too.”</p><p> </p><p>An image flitted into Hinata’s mind of the courtyard with rows of white chairs set out, the sun shining down overhead and the sound of waves and the cawing of white birds in the air. They would have decorations stretching from the tops of the buildings. It would be stunning.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, and there’s a bar in the forest, too!”, he enthused. The villa bar was a little sketchy, but if the workers there put on some smart clothes it could be quite nice.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai gave him an intrigued look, and then glanced to Takeda. “What do you think?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s heart sank a little, even though the idea had not been entirely serious, when he saw that Takeda was biting his lip.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a lovely idea…”, he began.</p><p> </p><p>“But?”, Ukai prompted.</p><p> </p><p>“But…” Takeda threw a sheepish look at Oikawa. “You would need to do some maintenance on the buildings first.”</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa gave a short sigh. “We’re getting there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey”, Hinata cut in, “there’s a couple up at the villa who are getting married, too. Maybe you could help them out?”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda paused, looking at him. “Oh, I’d love to. But they would have to do it through the company, probably.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, he could probably sort that. And it would take a lot of the weight off of Shigeru and Kyoutani’s shoulders, and Oikawa’s too.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know whether you got to meet them?”, he continued, perking up some more as the idea took hold. “It’s Oikawa’s son, Shigeru, and Kyoutani.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda’s face contorted. “Ah. No. They probably wouldn’t do that.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s heart sank even further. Of course they wouldn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai was frowning intensely at the ground as they walked.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it was just an idea”, Oikawa commented, his tone neutral. “I think I’m going to head back to the villa in a short while; I have quite a lot to do still. But you can go on without me if you like.”</p><p> </p><p>“I need to run to the convenience store”, Hinata remembered. He had been running low on food, surviving on cup noodles for the last couple of days. “I’ll catch you up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, we might need to come too”, said Takeda. “We were talking last night- it appears we both traveled light. I thought there would be a store close to the villa.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Oikawa waved blithely at them, and before Hinata knew it, he had disappeared around a corner.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you want to go to <em>this</em> store?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai was still stood at the front of Shimada Mart, squinting at the sign. Hinata couldn’t blame him for being a little apprehensive at the sight of the butchered cartoon pig.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, what other one is there?”, Takeda asked, although Hinata noted his tone was not so flippant as his words indicated. He looked up the empty highway with the trees on one side; the road to home.</p><p> </p><p>“We can go back to town if you really-”, Hinata started.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure it’ll be fine, right, Ukai?”</p><p> </p><p>Faced with the combined weight of both of their smiles, Ukai tugged at the collar of his jacket with one finger. “Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>They headed inside. Hinata paused inside the doors. “Alright. I’ll go grab my things. If you want, you guys can go get what you want and we’ll meet back by the register?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata would not have been offended in the slightest if they ditched him; Ukai in particular seemed upset about something. It was probably for the best that they were heading back now rather than dragging the day out. Hopefully that way their guests could rest up and be ready for their trek tomorrow.</p><p> </p><p>He cleared the store in no time at all, already familiar with the layout, waving to Takeda and Ukai when he passed them in one aisle. Shimada Mart certainly was not a large shop, but it was large enough that someone could get easily side-tracked and double back on themselves down the similar rows of shelves if they had never been there before.</p><p> </p><p>At the check out there was a small queue: A woman with a gaggle of three young children was paying in front of him. He averted his gaze, sweeping the open area toward the windows and then glancing back down the aisles. There was no sign of Takeda and Ukai: They had either deserted him or were not done yet.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was pleasantly surprised when the small family left and he shuffled forward, to find that it was Takinoue sitting at the register, and even more surprised to see Shimada hovering behind him.</p><p> </p><p>The blond man blinked up at him, his neutral expression slowly spreading into a smile. “Hey, Hinata, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, it’s me.” He dipped his head and raised one hand to wave. “Hi, Shimada.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hello. I’m just waiting for this guy”, Shimada pointed down at Takinoue, “to finish so we can go and get lunch. Yamaguchi is just at the info center, though, if you want to say hi while you’re in town.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I was actually here with a couple of guys who are staying up at the villa”, Hinata peered around. There was still no sign of them. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen them come through. One of them has a camera?”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada shook his head. “Nope, just that lady and you.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai’s voice rose from somewhere behind Hinata, and he turned to find the taller man frowning at some shelves, Takinoue hovering by his elbow.</p><p> </p><p>“Damnit, I swear they used to stock it.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda frowned. “Used to stock it?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned back to the cash register. “Oh, here they come now!”</p><p> </p><p>Only Takinoue and Shimada were no longer looking at him. They sported identical, open-mouthed expressions as they stared past Hinata, toward the hotel guests.</p><p> </p><p>“Keishin?!”, Shimada cried, moving forward to stand behind Takinoue.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Hinata looked from one pair of men to the other, bewildered.</p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit.” Takinoue grinned. Hinata was glad the lady with the kids had left already.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai cleared his throat. “Hey, guys.” In a display of faux casualness, he leaned one elbow against a shelf, and almost toppled over, cursing as he righted himself.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, asked Takeda. He glanced between Hinata and Ukai. “Ukai, have you been here before?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Takinoue gaped at him. “Don’t you know? Ukai is-" He looked at Hinata. "Hinata, Ukai is from our island. We grew up here together.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda watched Ukai with wide eyes. “But… But, you never said…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata couldn’t hold it in anymore.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?!”, he exploded, and the other four men in the store all paused in their confusion to stare at him. He jabbed an accusing finger at Ukai. “You should have been the one showing us around!” There he and Oikawa had been, trying to tell them about the island, when Ukai knew it already, maybe better than they did. Honestly, he felt like a bit of an idiot upon realizing that.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, well, I just didn’t want to say anything”, Ukai muttered. “I haven’t been here in years.”</p><p> </p><p>Takinoue snorted. “That’s a bit of an understatement. You just vanished, you never said anything, we were so-”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada was the one who cleared his throat this time, pointing a finger to one side: A customer was hovering at the end of the conveyer belt, appearing mildly concerned by the wildly gesturing cashier.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I’d better serve them”, Takinoue announced, and Hinata hurriedly gathered his things, handing over what he hoped was the right amount. Takinoue barely glanced down before returning his change. When he looked back up, his eyes were fixed on Ukai, and they were narrowed. “But I’m expecting to see more of you before you go, Keishin.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me, too”, Shimada chimed in. It sounded like a threat.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai swallowed. “Sure. I’ll talk to you guys. Before I go.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re up at the villa!”, Hinata added in helpfully, just in case they hadn’t caught that part amid the commotion. He noticed Ukai was giving him a rather annoyed look but shrugged it off as he headed to the exit. “Oh, and say hi to Yamaguchi for me!”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda and Ukai followed him out, just a few seconds later.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you not find what you were looking for?”, he asked curiously, and Ukai shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We can come back later and find another store."</p><p> </p><p>Takeda looped his thumbs in the straps of his camera. “Did you want to go back up the villa or-”</p><p> </p><p>His co-worker cut across him. “Yes.” He coughed. "Let's get lunch and then I might come back down to the beach." There was no hint of his previous invitation.</p><p> </p><p>“Ukai?”, the dark-haired man’s words came out almost softly. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wondered that, too. He scuffed his shoes against the pavement, glancing down the road. Oikawa had taken the bus; they had better get walking. It was going to be a long trip.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know.” Ukai sighed. “I mean, I haven't been here in so long. I half-expected everyone I know to be gone.”</p><p> </p><p>A chill ran across Hinata. Coming home was weird.</p><p> </p><p>“Why did you leave?”, he asked curiously, as they began their slow walk along the road, Hinata’s shopping twirling in the paper bag he had grabbed.</p><p> </p><p>“What is this, twenty questions? I just left for the same reason most people leave tiny dead-end areas like this, to get a real job.”</p><p> </p><p>“But this island seems so nice”, Takeda murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Ukai turned to him. “You think that?”</p><p> </p><p>The only answer was a nod.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay.” He paused. “I have a lot of memories here.”</p><p> </p><p>It was quiet for a long time, aside from their soft footsteps.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you ever come to the villa?”, asked Hinata. “Before?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not many people did, after the ‘quake. I heard the old owners left, and they had new management.” He sighed. “It’s strange, you know. Even the beach is different. But it’s still there, the same. It’s hard to explain. I’m struggling to fit my memories in with what’s here now.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda raised one hand, allowing it to hover over Ukai’s shoulder, and then dropped it without touching him. Ukai could not have seen him. But, as they continued walking, Ukai looked at him as if he knew.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata pretended not to notice.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Shouyou- sorry, but Mom asked me to ask you again- when are you coming home?”</p><p> </p><p>For the fourth time in their conversation, Hinata sighed. He loved speaking to Natsu; truly, he did. But at times like this…</p><p> </p><p>“I already told her. My friends are getting married. I need to stay for that, at least.” He stopped, fidgeting with the hem of his pants as he sat side-saddle on his stationary moped, staring out over the hills at the sunset. The clouds in the sky had taken on a pale pink hue that matched his shirt, and the hair that he ran his hands through was the same color as the tiny ball slipping below the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>“I know. I’ll tell her.” Natsu paused. “But when <em>are</em> you coming home? Hotaru misses you.”</p><p> </p><p>“She missed me when I was in Brazil, too”, he pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>“And so did I. I was so excited when I heard you were coming home, and now you’re here, but you’re not…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed about the lump in his throat. “Natsu…”</p><p> </p><p>He heard it in her voice, the moment she realized that she was using the same guilt tripping technique that their mother had started to pull on them. “I’m sorry, Shouyou. I really don’t mean to- we just miss you.”</p><p> </p><p>The kilometers between them had never felt so numerous.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay.” Hinata affected a light tone, ignoring the stabbing at his heart. “I do really miss you guys, you know. I’m not staying here just to- to spite you, or-”</p><p> </p><p>“No”, Natsu half-hummed agreement.</p><p> </p><p>“-but coming home after so long is tough”, he finished.</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me about it. She’s started talking to me about ‘getting back out there’, you know. The sooner you come home and take your fair share of nagging the better.”</p><p> </p><p>One of the clouds rolled in to cover the amber orb of light, turning a pale violet.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata chuckled at his sister’s words, then shuddered at the sudden chill on his face. “What, don’t you want to have a little sibling for Hotaru?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck off. I’m too old for that.” Natsu dropped her voice to a bare murmur. “When did we grow up, Shouyou? When I had Hotaru I still felt like a kid, and now she’s growing up so quickly…”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s scary”, he agreed. “Before we know it, we’ll be mom’s age.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, at least we’ll have each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Natsu let out a long, low sigh. “I’d better go. Hotaru has practice and she should be home soon, and I haven’t even started dinner.”</p><p> </p><p>The thought of his niece- and the mention of practice- always put a smile on Hinata’s face. “Okay. Tell her I say hi. And I can’t wait to see how she’s getting on the next time I see her.”</p><p> </p><p>He could practically hear his sister’s eyes rolling through the phone. “Oh, don’t. She’s gotten to that age where she’s bragging about you now. I’ve heard her telling her teammates about her cool uncle Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>“I hear no lies there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe, but I wish she’d brag about <em>me</em>.” Her voice took on a petulant tone that was hauntingly familiar. Hinata thought it was funny, how swiftly they could shift back to their childhood selves around each other: Natsu the whiny and pestering kid sister, himself the patient yet excitable big brother. “<em>My</em> team won Nationals twice, you know. How many times did <em>you</em> win?”</p><p> </p><p>She always brought that up, even though she knew the answer well enough.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata decided, as usual, to let her have the satisfaction.</p><p> </p><p>“We never went to Nationals.”</p><p> </p><p>Natdu made a raspberry noise, stopping after just a second and clearing her throat with a cough.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Hotaru is home- better go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright”, Hinata laughed. “Love you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Love you. Bye.”</p><p> </p><p>She hung up.</p><p> </p><p>The sun had now dipped far enough that the light was rapidly fading, and the obstinate cloud that seemed to have settled in over it for the night was not helping matters. Hinata considered retreating indoors, yet he felt too awake, too restless, after that conversation. He felt this way before a big match, sometimes: The certainty of knowing that he was not going to get much sleep.</p><p> </p><p>And the courtyard was deserted, no sign of the others. He had passed by Oikawa and Shigeru’s home earlier, just to see whether they were there, but only the light in Oikawa’s room gave an indication that somebody was home, and Hinata did not want to disturb him if he was working.</p><p> </p><p>After a lot of back and forth, he settled on taking his bike down to the beach. Ukai and Takeda had headed out again some time ago, after all, a few hours after they returned for the store: He might as well see if he could spot them and ensure they hadn’t gotten lost at all.</p><p> </p><p>He wheeled his bike along to the gravel road and then kicked it to life, teeth chattering in his head and his heart thumping as he rode down the first steep hill.</p><p> </p><p>Driving through the trees at night was more unsettling than walking: Although the sky was still largely a deep blue, not yet pitch-black, among the forest it did not seem to matter. Shadows stretched long, longer still as his headlight fell across the trees. Moving so quickly, Hinata occasionally thought he spotted flickers of movement among them, continuously reassuring himself that it was only his imagination.</p><p> </p><p>It was a relief to turn left into the town, eventually emerging onto streets that, while deserted, were dotted with streetlamps. He took the road parallel to the shore, sailing past the café where Yachi worked. Although he did not drive fast, the wind whipped at his face, buffeting his jacket.</p><p> </p><p>As he passed the ice cream store, he noticed two people standing by the door of the darkened parlor, keys twisting in one of their hands, and dimly recognized the scary-faced man he had run into that one time, alongside the nice manager with the odd hairstyle whose name he could no longer recall. Hinata tried not to catch their eye.</p><p> </p><p>The small bay where people parked was essentially empty, only two other cars around, and so Hinata pulled in there and hopped off the moped, spending a few minutes tying his helmet down on top of it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata sauntered along with his hands in his pockets, moving with rather than against the wind so that the sharp gusts broke against his back rather than his face. The world was eerily silent and dark, even though it was not extremely late: Even the sea whispered against the sand. While he walked, he contemplated the day so far.</p><p> </p><p>He had to admit that part of the reason he came down here was that he wanted to see Takeda and Ukai and speak with them; or, rather, that he didn’t want to be sitting inside alone. Hinata had come to miss the interaction with the guests that were more personal. Acting as simply a kind of tour guide had every exchange feeling unnatural, stilted. And Takeda and Ukai had seemed to be genuinely nice people: Hinata was curious about them. Especially Ukai, with the revelation that he was from here.</p><p> </p><p>Though he had made his way to the town with the intention of finding them, Hinata was still surprised to see two dark figures sitting side by side on the sand, their legs stretched out in front of them. He thought he recognized them by their silhouettes; Takeda’s messy hair and Ukai’s slicked-back style. Yet it was only as he passed them on the promenade that he recognized their faint voices, and his suspicions were confirmed.</p><p> </p><p>“… used to bring me here. I was really close to him. I guess I didn’t want to come back here… Because I didn’t want to taint my memories of him.” Ukai’s words drifted toward him.</p><p> </p><p>A gust of wind robbed him of hearing the beginning of Takeda’s reply. “… hang onto the past forever, Keishin. You’ll always remember your grandfather and your time with him, but don’t hold onto it so hard that you make it something it wasn’t.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused, hanging back. Part of him wanted to join them on the sand; and he may even have done so, until he heard them speaking. It was likely best that he did not bother them now: He had learned enough tact over the years to know his arrival may be an interruption.</p><p> </p><p>He remained watching them for a few more seconds, long enough to see Takeda shift closer to Ukai and rest his head against Ukai’s arm. Hinata smiled to himself.</p><p> </p><p>Putting his hands into his pockets, Hinata slipped away without letting them know he was there to continue his stroll alone, guided by the light of the waxing moon.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Asahi Is Going Through A Breakup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaand here's the other one! :))))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The slap of a ball against his palm; the sweat that poured from his skin; the way his shoulders ached after a few hours under the blistering sun. It was all so familiar.</p><p> </p><p>This game was not like others they had played since he arrived: Although Kindaichi and Kunimi still did not seem particularly adept at playing, Hinata could see how Shigeru, Kyoutani and Watari had each improved their skills. They had not been lying when they told him they had been practicing.</p><p> </p><p>In an odd way, Hinata was proud of them. He could see his advice coming through in the way Shigeru made sure to time his blocks a little better now. Even Kyoutani seemed to have listened to him, quiet and astute in his own way: He had gotten tangled up with his own teammates far less, working with Watari and Shigeru as a well-oiled unit against their opponents. Whenever one of them made a good play in their crowded three-on-three game, he noticed, they always looked to Hinata straight away, although whether that was for praise or to check that they had done it correctly, he wasn’t sure. It was nice, though. Maybe coaching would be good for him, one day.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata could not even find it in himself to be the slightest bit upset when his group lost.</p><p> </p><p>Taking a sip from his water bottle as he stood by the net, Hinata shifted his cap on his head to stare back up at the sky, thankful that along with the heat there was also a strong breeze.</p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t noticed your friend up at the villa much lately”, a quiet voice commented to his side, and Hinata turned to see Kyoutani eyeing him as he leaned against the net.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked. “Which one?” Did he mean Bokuto? True; he didn’t usually come up to the villa very often, especially after his last encounter with Oikawa, only passing through to get to and from the bar.</p><p> </p><p>“The weird one”, Kyoutani clarified. “He’s always just hanging around when he’s not actually staying there.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh, he meant Yamaguchi.</p><p> </p><p>He hadn’t visited much recently, Hinata realized. Whenever they hung out, Hinata had gone to him. And he had stopped talking about his friend Tsukishima. Strange.</p><p> </p><p>“Yamaguchi already lives on the island so why would he stay there?”, Shigeru asked. Hinata had not noticed that he had edged his way over to join their conversation, leaving Watari, Kindaichi and Kunimi sitting in the sand together.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani began to grumble a response and Hinata turned away, leaving the couple to it. He had learned not to get involved in their discussions at this point: Not because it led to an argument, but because it always seemed to be a prelude to some sort of flirtation that Hinata had no desire to witness.</p><p> </p><p>Turning away from them, he took another swig of his water, and then lowered his bottle when he saw that they had gathered an audience: A small group sitting along the edge of the promenade appeared to be watching them. There were three men and a woman, all around the same age as Hinata, if he had to guess.</p><p> </p><p>Blinking, Hinata took in what it was about them that had caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>One of them was waving: A silvery-haired man. As Hinata got closer, he noted the small circular beauty mark on his face, as well as the faint lines that betrayed what, Hinata assumed, was a stressful line of work.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”, he asked, unsure of what it was they wanted. Had they recognized him? He noted that they seemed rather familiar to him, too, yet he could not place where from.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi!”, the beauty mark man responded, his teeth peeking out from his wide smile. “Your serves are so good! We were wondering whether you’re a professional player at all?”</p><p> </p><p>“I am! I played beach volleyball overseas for several years.” They must also have played, or possibly been involved in the sport in some other way if they were able to recognize that. Hinata couldn’t help feeling a fizz of excitement: He seemed friendly, and the dark-haired man and woman behind each had the build of athletes, with defined arms poking out from their short shirt sleeves. They regarded Hinata with open curiosity, their chins jutting forward; one sharp and one chiseled. The other man, the tallest of the group, loitered at the back. He wore a long jacket in spite of the heat, and his glasses and beard almost made Hinata think of a cool young professor.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you play?”, Hinata prompted, rocking on the balls of his feet and feeling like a child meeting a neighbor’s kid for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>To his disappointment, silver hair laughed. “Not for a long time.” He dipped his head. “But I’m an advisor for the volleyball team at the school where I work.”</p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to join in?”</p><p> </p><p>The man tilted his head, apparently considering the offer. He looked from Hinata’s thumb, pointing in the direction of the net, to the other players, and then back to his friends.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure”, the man with cropped dark hair joined in. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, miming warming up. “Why not? It’ll be good to get the blood pumping, right, guys?”</p><p> </p><p>“Daichi, you haven’t played volleyball since college”, the woman pointed out quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“Which wasn’t <em>that</em> long ago.”</p><p> </p><p>“Over ten years”, the tallest man finally spoke up, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke. “Maybe we should-”</p><p> </p><p>Silver hair’s mouth dropped open and he half-wailed; “No, go on Asahi, you were the best! We could always rely on our ace!” He turned his face to wink at Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t bother hiding his smile. This guy was a little odd, but he was funny, too, and charming in a way that put him at ease.</p><p> </p><p>He seemed to currently be having the opposite effect on the taller man, however. He was growing increasingly red and flustered, waving his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh- but-”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re all very friendly, I promise”, Hinata put in. He glanced back at the kids, only to see that Kunimi had collapsed face-down on the sand. Kindaichi was sitting next to him and talking, patting his back. “... And it looks like a couple of the guys are tired. We could maybe play some three on three?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds perfect!”, the man they had called Daichi- whose name was Daichi, most likely, Hinata corrected himself- said. “Kiyoko, do you want to-?”</p><p> </p><p>The woman made a face that was partly sad and partly apologetic.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll sit this one out. I’m not sure that my leg will handle it after all the walking we’ve done.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll sit out, too”, silver hair said, and Hinata felt momentarily disappointed. It was never fun when somebody got left out. Still, he understood that he might just want to stay with his friend. “Daichi, Asahi, you guys go!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gave them encouraging smiles. Daichi leaped to his feet immediately, whereas Asahi accepted a hair tie from Kiyoko and spent some time tying his long hair back and folding his jacket to pass to her, following behind more slowly as Hinata led them back to the beach.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, guys, we’ve got some new recruits!” He waved the others over to talk by the net.</p><p> </p><p>Neither Kindaichi nor Kunimi moved: It appeared as though they were officially out of the match.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi”, said Shigeru, and Kyoutani nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hey!” Watari’s eyes lit up, and one hand flew up to rub over his head. “Sawamura, isn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Please, call me Daichi.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt his eyes grow wide. “Oh, are you staying at the villa?” He knew he had seen them somewhere before.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” Daichi gave a single nod. “We recognized you.”</p><p> </p><p>So <em>that </em>was where he knew them from. A single beat of silence passed, Hinata unsure of what else to say.</p><p> </p><p>“Where do I stand?”, a voice asked, and Hinata pivoted to find the bearded man- Asahi- standing to the side of the court, biting at his lip. “I’ve never played beach volleyball before.”</p><p> </p><p>“First of all, relax”, Hinata told him, smiling. “It’s not <em>that </em>different than regular volleyball. Just play the way you know how, and I’ll tell you if it’s wrong. It’s not like we’re playing in a tournament or anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Gently, he shepherded the man onto the court. “It might be a little crowded with three players, so be careful, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for you. Okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Asahi exhaled, a determined look taking over his face as his gaze settled on the net in front of them. “Yes!”</p><p> </p><p>Daichi had already taken a spot at the rear of the court, so Hinata quickly shuffled across. Watari, Shigeru and Kyoutani were already waiting on the other side.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Shigeru’s grin as he held the ball out in front of him was eerily reminiscent of his father’s, and his serve was not completely far off, either.</p><p> </p><p>Admittedly, Hinata carried the team, but Daichi was quite good low to the ground, making diving saves in the back like a libero. And, once Asahi got into the swing of things and shook his nerves off, he also did well, racking up the points. Hinata ended up setting to his two teammates the majority of the match which, while not exactly his forte, made a nice change.</p><p> </p><p>He made attempts to correct the others’ mistakes as kindly as possible, although it was often hard to hear anything over the cheering that was going on. Each time Asahi scored or Daichi made a save, silver hair would let loose, howling and pumping his fists. Hinata noted the blush that rose to his teammates’ cheeks whenever this would happen. At first, it was only him cheering, yet after a short while Kiyoko joined in, and in the end even Kindaichi got into it, cheering for the other team. Hinata felt it was almost as though the two sides were competing in that, as well.</p><p> </p><p>The morning was turning out to be far more fun than he had hoped. He found that he was glad these people were all staying at the villa and that they had approached him: Most of the others who had come to stay were foreigners who did not mingle or elderly people who did not seem all that friendly. He was glad to see some nice friendly faces. Takeda and Ukai had been nice, too, although Oikawa had whisked them away that morning to take them to the temple before Hinata could finish his breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>In all, the last few weeks had felt rather monotonous, like a real holiday, the days blurring into one as he hung out with the same people each time. But then, he supposed this was a holiday, for all that he was doing the odd bit of work for Oikawa. He was not sure why he was expecting that real life would sink in again.</p><p> </p><p>Briefly, his mind went to Futakuchi and Aone and the others. He hadn’t had much time with them, but he still missed them. Kenma, too. Which was exactly why he had tried to stick with the same people, the ones he knew would not leave.</p><p> </p><p>Still, when his team won, he instinctively and enthusiastically dragged them into a group hug, throwing his head back and yelling his victory into the air, a corkscrew of worry unwinding in his gut and releasing up through his throat. In the background, he could hear Shigeru heckling him and telling him to shut up. But he found he no longer cared when Daichi and Asahi also screamed into the sky, silver hair whooping and Kiyoko clapping almost silently, her hands meeting like a pair of dove’s wings folding in on each other.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“And- erm- w-what-”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata groaned internally, trying to keep the sympathetic look from his face. He had seen Yachi get a little nervous with large groups of customers, but nothing like this. For a few minutes, he had wondered why.</p><p> </p><p>If her frequent glances toward Kiyoko were not enough of an explanation, the beet-red tinge of her face and frantically flapping hands gave it away.</p><p> </p><p>Once they had ordered and Yachi had retreated to the kitchen, he turned to the others and, in an attempt to save his friend’s reputability, said; “Sorry. She gets nervous sometimes…”</p><p> </p><p>Daichi’s face was part-confused, part-stunned. “Poor girl.”</p><p> </p><p>“I get that.” Asahi gave an uncomfortable laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Kiyoko merely hummed.</p><p> </p><p>After the game had ended, Hinata suggested they take a trip to the café for lunch, always eager to both see his friend and provide her with business. He had expected that the kids would follow him; only Shigeru and Kyoutani had ‘wedding business’ to attend to, or so they claimed, and Watari had said that if he did not get back Hanamaki and Matsukawa were going to kill him as he had promised to help them with the cleaning while Oikawa was out. Kindaichi and Kunimi had not even given an excuse, simply followed along with the others as they turned away.</p><p> </p><p>And so Hinata had been left sitting at a table and making small talk with these virtual strangers.</p><p> </p><p>The silver-haired man, who he now knew was named Sugawara, although he preferred Suga- laced his hands together above the table and leaned forward, a wicked gleam in his chocolate eyes. “So, if you were a professional player…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata braced himself for one of the inevitable questions about what he was doing there, why he had retired, and how much money he had made.</p><p> </p><p>“… If I search you, will you appear on Youtube?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head thoughtfully. “You can probably find a highlights compilation?”</p><p> </p><p>There were several. He just was not about to admit that, in the past, he had sometimes watched them himself. He had stopped that once he left Brazil, though; watching them now simply made him feel a little queasy.</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, Suga pulled his phone from his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>Kiyoko frowned. “Suga, put the phone away.”</p><p> </p><p>“Noooo, I’m curious.” He glanced up. “Sorry, what was your first name again?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shouyou. But everybody calls me Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>Suga was silent for a moment, and then Hinata could hear the chatter of the Brazilian commentators, coming out tinny from Suga’s phone. Daichi leaned over his shoulder to watch, also. Hinata made no effort to join, simply listening to the occasional roar of the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>When Yachi returned with the drinks and food they had ordered, Hinata threw her a sympathetic look. She returned it with a wobbly grin, and then just about melted into a puddle when Kiyoko smiled and thanked her. Hinata worried that he may have to scrape her up from the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Again, mercifully, the others at the table appeared oblivious, yet when he spotted Suga giving her a speculative look, he felt it was best to offer a distraction.</p><p> </p><p>“So, how do you four all know each other?” He looked around expectantly. He had noticed that Kiyoko also sported a small beauty mark, on her chin. Maybe she and Suga were related?</p><p> </p><p>“We went to college together.” Daichi shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Old friends”, Suga announced. He nudged Asahi, possibly a little too hard, for Asahi winced and muttered; “Ow, Suga.”</p><p> </p><p>Ah. So friends, not relatives.</p><p> </p><p>“Every year we take a trip as a sort of reunion”, continued Daichi.</p><p> </p><p>Kiyoko watched Hinata over her drink. “Usually we go in the Summer.” Her glasses steamed up and she mumbled; “I knew I should’ve worn my contacts today…”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Suga jumped in; “But this year we booked this little impromptu voyage early because Asahi is going through a breakup.”</p><p> </p><p>The man in question let out a heavy sigh. “<em>Went</em> through a breakup.”</p><p> </p><p>That was the first time Hinata had heard that as the reason for coming here.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry”, he offered.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine.” Asahi shrugged. “Things hadn’t been right for a long time. We hung on too long, really.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata considered saying that he was also going through a breakup- with volleyball- before realizing that may sound a little blithe and insensitive. He swallowed his words down alongside the first bite of his lunch.</p><p> </p><p>“So, this trip is to get our Asahi smiling again!” Suga poked at his friend again, gentler this time, and Asahi’s lips did twitch a little. He hid them behind his mug of coffee. “I reckon we’re doing a good job so far!”</p><p> </p><p>“You did look like you were having a lot of fun with the volleyball”, remarked Kiyoko. While her face remained as neutral as when he had first seen her, Hinata thought that there was an amused glint in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>He enthused; “Volleyball is a great way to have fun!”</p><p> </p><p>Daichi agreed; “I’d forgotten. It’s been so long…”</p><p> </p><p>“And it’s not every day you get to play with a professional”, Kiyoko added.</p><p> </p><p>“True.” Suga leaned forward. “Where did you play, Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>“Brazil.” It was always easier to say that than to specify the city and receive the occasional blank stare in return.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s really cool.” Asahi gave Hinata a shy smile, and he returned it with a broad one.</p><p> </p><p>Behind Asahi’s back, Hinata caught Suga and Daichi swapping a strange look. He wondered whether they maybe had something against Brazil.</p><p> </p><p>If they did, they did not voice the issue. Rather, Daichi slowly nodded in agreement, lacing his fingers together in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“It is.”</p><p> </p><p>Not wanting to be rude, Hinata asked; “What do you guys do? Suga, you said you worked at a school?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a teacher.”</p><p> </p><p>“Any particular subject?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I don’t think I know enough about any one particular subject to teach it.” A chuckle ran around the table at Suga’s words. “No, I teach in an elementary school, with young children. I only give them the basics.”</p><p> </p><p>Daichi shook his head mockingly. “Those poor kids.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”</p><p> </p><p>Suga jabbed at Daichi, but the other man was taller than him and, Hinata noted, had broader shoulders; he easily knocked Suga’s hand away, leaning across a panicked Asahi to push him back. The situation escalated as they began poking at each other’s sides, Suga squeaking with each strike Daichi landed.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys…” Kiyoko shook her head, although Hinata could see from the way she was biting her lip that she was attempting to hold back a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Daichi cleared his throat, sitting up straight.</p><p> </p><p>“And he’s a social worker, believe it or not”, Suga stage whispered to Hinata, waving at the man he had been jostling with just moments before.</p><p> </p><p>“He used to be a police officer”, said Kiyoko.</p><p> </p><p>“Wasn’t for me, in the end.” He shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool!” Hinata looked between the other two.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a manager at a gym. And Asahi here is a fashion designer.”</p><p> </p><p>He stared at her. “No way!” If anything, he’d have thought that it was the other way around. Although, now that he looked around the group, they did all dress well, in form-fitting clothing. “What sort of things do you design?”</p><p> </p><p>His cheeks coloring, Asahi mumbled; “Mostly just things for companies, nothing too big. Some sports apparel.”</p><p> </p><p>“Show pride in your work, Asahi!”, Suga beamed, hitting his friend on the back hard enough that Asahi winced.</p><p> </p><p>After fumbling in his jacket pocket for a few minutes, Asahi produced his phone, and Hinata joined the rest of the group in gathering around to aw and wow at some of the fashion on display. It was definitely recognizable as sporting gear: Sleek and lightweight, in a range of colors. The same kind of thing Hinata liked to wear. He wondered whether maybe he had: He never paid too much attention in general to where the clothes he ordered came from, usually just going by recommendations from teammates and friends.</p><p> </p><p>Over lunch, Hinata found himself relaxing, chuckling at Suga’s gentle teasing and Kiyoko’s often sharp remarks. He had missed this. While he felt at home now with Oikawa and Shigeru and the others at the villa, the feeling of serenity had been disrupted a little recently, with the increasing tension he felt at the imminent arrival of Shigeru’s potential fathers. It felt good to talk with someone new.</p><p> </p><p>Afterward, when they mentioned going back to the villa to get their things to go swimming- their next port of call apparently, at some bay on the eastern side of the island where the water was supposed to be beautiful- Hinata suggested that he could walk back with them, and felt a happy thrum in his chest when they agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“How are you actually okay with this?”, Asahi panted as they slogged up the hill.</p><p> </p><p>The walk seemed to have tired them all out, but with Asahi it was particularly noticeable. Hinata thought that Daichi also seemed rather exhausted, but that he was better at hiding it, pushing ahead without speaking to the others.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s an athlete, remember, Asahi”, Suga called from where he and Kiyoko were a few yards ahead.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I struggled with it at first too”, Hinata told him, nudging Asahi’s arm with his shoulder. “I’ve just gotten used to it. I’ve been here a few months now.”</p><p> </p><p>Asahi’s tense expression relaxed slightly. “I normally live in Tokyo, so I don’t walk all that much. I mostly use public transport.” He glanced at Hinata. “I still try to stay in shape, though. This is really hitting my confidence.”</p><p> </p><p>“We can do this!” Hinata decided. “Let’s race!”</p><p> </p><p>“I- Wha- Hinata-”</p><p> </p><p>Asahi did seem to have a competitive streak: Hinata had only taken a few steps when Asahi overtook him, using his height to force long strides up the hill. Gaping, he leaped forward to catch up, actually sprinting rather than jogging, and the two of them raced neck and neck, Asahi’s jacket flying out behind them like a cape. Before Hinata knew it, Suga and Kiyoko were jogging on their heels.</p><p> </p><p>In the end, Kiyoko won, making it to the brow of the hill with seemingly little effort. It made sense: She had the figure of a long-distance runner.</p><p> </p><p>“You- you-”, Suga gasped, out of breath from both running and laughter as he pointed at Daichi bringing up the rear.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, alright.” Daichi waved his hand away and wrapped both arms around him, trapping him in a hug. Suga continued to laugh as he pushed him away.</p><p> </p><p>They began to head in toward the main building, and Hinat waved as he turned away toward the outhouse, only pausing when he took in four identical expressions of confusion.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are you going?”, asked Kiyoko.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Hinata realized he had never told them about his living situation. “I’m staying in the outhouse.”</p><p> </p><p>The expressions of confusion deepened on Daichi’s, Asahi’s and Kiyoko’s faces, but Suga’s dawned with understanding. “Oh, that makes sense.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned away as the other three stared at Suga, humming as he skipped down the stones toward the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Hinata, wait a second!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?” He wheeled about, raising his hand to his eyes to squint up at his new acquaintances.</p><p> </p><p>The four of them stood ranged out at the top of the steps. Daichi had both arms folded over his chest. Looking up at them from down there, they almost looked like a group of superheroes in a cartoon, with Daichi as their leader, posing. The only thing ruining the image was the way Suga was nudging Asahi to get his attention.</p><p> </p><p>“We might go back down to the beach tomorrow. Join us, if you’re free?” Daichi grinned. “It’d be fun to play another game.”</p><p> </p><p>Somebody <em>wanted</em> to play volleyball with him? Hinata could feel his face lighting up.</p><p> </p><p>And then came the sinking sensation as his brain kicked into gear. When exactly was this group going to leave again?</p><p> </p><p>Hoping that they didn’t notice his hesitation, Hinata smiled. “I- I’ll think about it.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The hammock gave a little creak as Hinata shifted his back, sliding his thumb across the screen of his phone and smiling at a funny message Kenma had sent him, some joke about a show Kenma was currently watching.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere to his side, Shigeru was rambling about flowers for the wedding. Hinata was only half-listening. He didn’t mean to tune out; it was just that he could only listen to Shigeru talk about the language of flowers- whatever that meant- for so long before his mind wandered.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata? Is that okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced up. Through the dark evening air, he could see Shigeru staring at him over the top of his phone from one of the other hammocks that they now frequently left strung up among the trees. Watari softly snored from one of the others: He had been passed out for the last hour at least, already fast asleep when Hinata came to join them after eating dinner alone in his hut. Kyoutani had tried to wake him up before he went in to sleep, about twenty minutes before, to no avail.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tucked his own phone back into the pocket of his pants.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry?”</p><p> </p><p>“Can they stay with you?” Shigeru was smiling expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head. “Who?”</p><p> </p><p>“My-” Shigeru glanced around, leaning so far forward that Hinata was afraid he would topple over and onto the ground. “My fathers? Can they stay in the outhouse with you?”</p><p> </p><p>Hm. So the topic of conversation had shifted to that again.</p><p> </p><p>Warily, Hinata asked; “Can they not just stay in town?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru rolled onto his stomach with a huffing noise, his back sliding down like he was deflating. He looked a bit like a dead fish stretched out on a table at the market, Hinata thought. Definitely nothing like the refined, slightly shy young man he had first met. He wondered how Shigeru was going to get back up.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’ve invited them here so it would be suspicious and rude to take back the offer of free accommodation”, Shigeru groaned, his words coming out muffled against the plastic. “And I can’t really afford to pay for them to stay in town. But they can’t stay at the main villa because dad will see them. Besides, it’s not the correct way to treat family.”</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose not.” Hinata tried to picture himself in Shigeru’s shoes but found himself unable to do so. He didn’t really remember his father; the idea of having one coming to visit was foreign to him, let alone three.</p><p> </p><p>He realized Shigeru had twisted his face to the side to stare at him hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>Thinking about it, maybe it was the best place for them, really. They could easily be kept away from the villa, then. And it wasn’t like Hinata wasn’t used to having roommates; he could share.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine”, he conceded. “It’ll still be hard to keep it from Oikawa, though, won’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru sprang up, pushing his body upward on his hands and knees, and immediately rolled and thudded down onto his back in a manner that looked painful.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll come down every day, or Shinji will”, he enthused, ignoring the display he had just put on. “And they can sleep on the second floor! Nobody will be able to go up or out from there without you knowing.”</p><p> </p><p>The thought of Hinata as a sort of guard dog was mildly amusing, he had to admit, although the idea that he might have to wake up to Kageyama’s scary face made him wince.</p><p> </p><p>Something else occurred to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t the roof broken, though? Bokuto nearly fell through one time.” Maybe Shigeru wasn’t thinking clearly about this: If only he put as much effort as he put into planning his wedding into this.</p><p> </p><p>“Well…” The younger man considered. “It is, but it’s not <em>that</em> bad. We can cover it over with something. I’ll ask Kentarou to help.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata eyed him for several seconds. He didn’t waver.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if you’re sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure.” Shigeru gave him a pleased smile.</p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, Hinata swung his legs around and slipped his feet back into his sandals. It was getting late: About time he made his way back to his own bed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Aren’t you going to help me pick out the flowers?”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you’d finished with the flowers. Ask Kyoutani to help you.”</p><p> </p><p>“He doesn’t want flowers!”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, there you go.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata waved at Shigeru’s pouting face as he walked around the side of the villa by the cliff, passing the small nook where he remembered sitting and sharing life stories with Oikawa on more than one occasion. In the distance, he could hear Shigeru trying to wake up Watari, and he smiled.</p><p> </p><p>A single flash caught his attention and he jumped, thinking that it might be lightning. It took him a few seconds to work out where it had originated.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda was sitting out in the courtyard, watching the sea. His camera was nestled in his hands, his face obscured by the smooth rectangular surface. There was another flash, nearly blinding Hinata, and then he lowered it to his lap. A second later, a small white square slid out from underneath, and Hinata realized this was a different camera than the one he had earlier, one of those ones that printed photos instantly, that had recently become popular again.</p><p> </p><p>“How are they turning out?”, Hinata asked curiously, watching as the man waved the developing image in one hand. It didn’t look as though Takeda was taking pictures of anything, besides the courtyard and the sea beyond where the cliff dropped off. He had not realized you could use the flash to take pictures of the landscape in the dark like that: Whenever he had tried, he would only capture blackness. But then Takeda’s camera was surely more professional than any he had ever owned.</p><p> </p><p>“Dark”, Takeda replied, quashing Hinata’s musings. He held up the photo to reveal nothing but a black square. “I like it up here. It’s calm, but you can see way down to where all the people are. I was hoping to capture something, I don’t know…”</p><p> </p><p>He trailed away, letting his gesturing hand fall back to rest against the stones.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata took a few steps toward him. Around them, he could hear the singing of insects, emboldened by the onslaught of Spring to creep out from the forest and into the grassy fields to the side. It wouldn’t be that long before Summer, now.</p><p> </p><p>“How was the temple?”, he asked as he approached.</p><p> </p><p>“Beautiful, but hard to get to. Oikawa was not joking about those stairs.” He gave a small laugh. “I think our clients seemed quite happy with it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata made a mental note that he would have to go sometime. Maybe he’d drag Yachi and Yamaguchi, or Bokuto. He could even try and drag Kenma. If Kenma came back, of course.</p><p> </p><p>“Being by the sea must remind you of Brazil, right?”, Takeda queried, craning his neck back to peer at Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>It was touching, just a little bit, that he had remembered that.</p><p> </p><p>Settling down beside him, Hinata nodded. “A bit.” He cocked his head. “How did you know I was by the coast there, though? Brazil is a big country.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda smiled. “Hinata, you told me you played beach volleyball. You sort of need to be by the sea for that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Right.”</p><p> </p><p>The smile didn’t fade.</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me some more about it”, he prompted. “It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked past him, across the hills.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t too sure what to make of Takeda, honestly. He seemed… Eerily calm, even with his occasional anxious expressions, and genuinely kind. He spoke casually, as if he knew Hinata somehow.</p><p> </p><p>Biting his lip, Hinata dug his heels into the stones. Takeda was nice, and he wanted to talk about Brazil, but…</p><p> </p><p>As much as he wanted to, another part of his brain yelled at him to shut down and run. Takeda would be gone soon, anyway. Like Aone and Futakuchi and the others. Even Kenma.</p><p> </p><p>Yellow lights in the distance bled into the sky, and Hinata focused on those. He didn't like this feeling at all. Feeling down wasn't something that he knew how to deal with very well, since it was something he dealt with so rarely.</p><p> </p><p>“Is everything okay?” Takeda’s pale rounded face came into focus.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked, rubbing at one eye with his fist. He was so tired all of a sudden; they were full of sleep. “Yes. Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“You just seem inside your own head.” It was not a judgment; just a mere statement, calm and verging on sympathetic.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry.” He let out a breath. “I feel like I have been for a little while.”</p><p> </p><p>“May I ask… Is there a reason you don’t want to speak about Brazil?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had not expected that.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no”, he said. He gave a small chuckle. “I love to talk about Brazil. Ask Oikawa and the others, I don’t shut up about it.”</p><p> </p><p>The wedding planner watched him quietly. When Hinata had finished speaking, he commented; “But you’re still pulling away.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, Hinata whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda seemed to understand. His face softened. “It can be hard, starting over again, in a new place. Even if it’s somewhere you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t at the start, but… I feel like now I’m reserving… Parts of myself.” Hinata felt his face twist up, unsure of how to say what he needed to. Takeda waited patiently. “I have a lot of friends, and I love meeting people, but then you have a part of you that’s for them, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.”</p><p> </p><p>“And leaving my friends behind was so hard, even though I always knew I would one day, and I wanted to meet new people, to- to replace them, in a way.” ‘Replace’ was a bad word, but that was essentially what he was doing. “But then they leave too. Or most of them do. And I feel like I need to leave, too, to go home and pick back up there and settle down, but I don’t <em>want</em> to go back there yet. I hadn’t even expected to come back to Japan so soon. I agonized over my injury for a long time, thinking about what’s best for me.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda made another small noise of sympathy. When Hinata did not speak up again, he said; “You may not want to listen to the advice of an old man like myself, but I’ve learned over the course of the years that you should put what is best for yourself first.” He watched Hinata over his spectacles, and Hinata could see his own troubled face reflected in them. “And people are not meant to stay with you forever. They will leave you with nothing but memories. That is all a part of life, even the disappointment and the loneliness and the sorrow. It will spur you on to new challenges. It’s like when you lose a match. You don’t let that disappointment trail after you like a cloud forever, right?” He waited for the other man to shake his head. “So, let it move you forward to tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata let out a shaky exhale, he could see a small cloud of his own breath. The temperature really had dropped. Even as his muscles tensed against the breeze, he felt a weight drop from his shoulders: Takeda’s words had made him feel much better. It had helped, as well, to rant and let out his own tension.</p><p> </p><p>Turning toward Takeda, he demanded; “Were you ever involved in sports?”</p><p> </p><p>“Me? Oh, no.”</p><p> </p><p>That made sense, but he should have been, Hinata commented mentally.</p><p> </p><p>He said; “You should be a coach or something. You’re calm, and you give good advice.” He thought about it. “Or a lifestyle guru.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda blushed, his glasses steaming up slightly.</p><p> </p><p>Figuring they should move away from the deeper topics, Hinata asked; “So, what do you make of the island?”</p><p> </p><p>“It really is lovely up here at the villa.” The bespectacled man gestured out over the expanse before them.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Do</em> you think it’s somewhere you could hold a wedding?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe.” Takeda looked about, smiling. “As I said before, you’d have to fix it up a little first, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata made a face. “Yeah. It’s not that bad, though. “He had grown used to the paint that peeled off in certain segments of the wall, the nests of insects he occasionally discovered nestled against the side of the building.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can see that. You seem happier up here than in town.”</p><p> </p><p>He drew his head up to his knees and rested his head on them, allowing a fleeting grin to form. “I’ve been here a little while now.” He hummed, letting a feeling of comfort settle over him like a fresh blanket, shoulders sagging. Sitting in the center of a chilly stone courtyard in the darkness felt as good as lying in his bed back at the house in Sao Paulo, as reclining on the beach in Rio, somehow.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata whispered; “It feels like home, now.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I saw a few posts somewhere about how Daichi should have been a social worker and could not get the idea out of my head at all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Daichi Is Kind of The Dad of The Group</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sooooo I'm finally updating this... I feel super guilty about not having done it before but I've just been busy and it was easier for me to work on my fics with shorter chapters, especially since we're getting to the part of this one where I think most of the chapters are going to be fairly long from here on out! Also, I had the same problem as last time, where I've had Chapters 25 and 26 written for a couple of weeks but just couldn't bring myself to push on with this one. It's finally done though, so I hope you enjoy! :))))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Hinata did when he awoke the next morning was to sit straight up in bed, slap his hands to his cheeks, and declare that today was going to be a good day. Talking with Takeda had really helped him get out all of the negative emotions that he had felt swirling inside him lately, and so he was determined to prolong the happiness he felt for as long as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The second thing he did was to slip out of bed, pull on a hoodie and some shorts over the underwear he had slept in, muscle his feet into some sneakers, and sprint up to the main building to grab some breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>Waving to Shigeru and Kyoutani, who were running the kitchen that morning, he grabbed some cutlery and made his way over to the food station. He kept his head down as he ladled today’s soup into his bowl, humming to himself.</p><p> </p><p>The dining room was surprisingly busy today: Nothing compared to the way it was in town, but still busier than usual. They really were heading into the tourist season. Hinata hoped that in some way at least, that would spell out financial relief for Oikawa, for some months anyway.</p><p> </p><p>After some deliberation, Hinata decided to forgo the toast this morning and stick to his soup. He could always come back for seconds.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure that’s enough?”, a deep voice asked to his right, and he jumped. He didn’t know that voice. What if it was one of the intimidating guys from the ice cream place and they had somehow followed him up to the villa and they were waiting to take him out by the toaster and-</p><p> </p><p>Oh. He did know that voice; only he hadn’t recognized it with sleep clouding it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinked up at Daichi, whose tanned face watched him in consternation.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry?”, he asked, a little bewildered at the question.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that enough for you?” Daichi gestured toward the soup. “It doesn’t look like a lot of food.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata glanced from Daichi to his bowl and back up again.</p><p> </p><p>“Daichi, give it a rest!”, a voice called, and Hinata looked through the doorway to see Sugawara, barely visible from that angle, craning his neck to speak to them. “He was an athlete, he knows how much he’s supposed to eat.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Sorry.” Daichi rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Ignore him, Hinata”, another voice said and, pivoting, Hinata noticed Asahi to his left, over by the meat. He was smiling kindly. “Daichi is kind of the dad of the group. He always has been. He can’t help it.”</p><p> </p><p>“It comes with having four younger siblings.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gaped up at Daichi. “Four?” He could hardly imagine the fights there must have been to use the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>The broad-shouldered man gave a single nod in confirmation. “Two brothers and two sisters.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, wow. That must have been hectic. I only have a little sister- well, and a niece, now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mine have just started having kids, so family gatherings are… A lot.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata echoed the other man’s amused grin.</p><p> </p><p>Daichi stepped away, toward the entrance to the dining hall, and Hinata noticed for the first time that the man’s own tray was piled high with meat and vegetables. No wonder he’d worried about Hinata. It figured that Daichi was the kind of guy who packed away all of those calories; Hinata had been under the impression from his physique that he was a frequent gym attendee.</p><p> </p><p>With a brief glance toward Asahi and a muttered, “See you later, Hinata”, he disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>“See you”, Hinata echoed quietly. He turned to Asahi, who was now frowning intently at the range of soft drinks on offer. “Looks like you guys are loading up for a big day.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm.” Asahi glanced down at his own burdensome dish. “I think Kiyoko wanted to go to the hot springs so that was the plan. And then Daichi was talking about hiking in the afternoon but, honestly, he and Suga can go: I think Kiyoko and I would rather stay at the springs.” Hinata snickered at that. “Have you been before?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not yet.” Sadly. “I’ve been meaning to explore some more in the local area, but I’ve been helping Oikawa out around the villa, so some days I’m only free in the evenings.” It didn’t help that, whenever he did get a full day or evening off, he preferred to spend it with Yachi or Yamaguchi or Bokuto at their usual meeting spots, or hanging out around the villa with the kids, or sometimes even actually calling his family and old friends. Recently he had finally gotten around to making a gift box to send back to Pedro.</p><p> </p><p>Asahi offered; “Did you want to come? Today, I mean?”</p><p> </p><p>He did not make eye contact and Hinata immediately felt guilty: He had been given the impression that Asahi could be rather shy, so this was probably a big thing for him to ask. Hinata would really have liked to, and it would have been completing his goal in embracing these new friendships. However, Oikawa had asked him the night before if he would give Hanamaki and Matsukawa a hand in trimming down some of the overgrown plants on the periphery of the villa, and then he had to drive Takeda and Ukai down to catch the afternoon ferry…</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry”, he replied, ducking toward the door, “I’ve got some work to do here today. Maybe another time, though?”</p><p> </p><p>Luckily, Asahi merely smiled. “Sure. Another time.”</p><p> </p><p>Standing in the doorway, Hinata hesitated, unsure of where to sit. Daichi was sitting with Sugawara and Kiyoko, but their table only had four seats, and he did not want to steal Asahi’s place. Most of the other tables were filled with people he did not recognize.</p><p> </p><p>In the corner, he spotted Ukai and Takeda huddled together on one side of a table, seemingly discussing something with their heads close together.</p><p> </p><p>Hoping that he wasn’t interrupting anything, Hinata made his way across to stand by them. He shuffled from foot to foot until they glanced up at him. “Hi. Can I join you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Go ahead.” Ukai gestured to a seat across the table from them.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda smiled. “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>He dropped into the hard wooden seat and began to slurp at his soup until he saw Ukai watching him contemplatively.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” Hinata swallowed down another mouthful.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it good? I was thinking of trying it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitated, turning potential answers over in his mind. Shigeru and Kyoutani had been cooking that day, and neither of them was quite up to the standards presented by Oikawa or Matsukawa, but it was decent: That was to say, it wasn't one of Hanamaki's creations.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright.” Ukai nodded as though he understood. “You two are heading back today, right?”</p><p> </p><p>It was Takeda who answered. “Sadly, our stay here was brief. Yet enjoyable.” He exchanged a brief smile with Ukai. “We’ll have to come back sometime."</p><p> </p><p>Ukai ducked his head. “Maybe.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll take you to the docks when you’re ready”, Hinata told them when he next paused in stuffing his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure. Just need to grab a few things.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shigeru and Kyoutani, who had appeared and were chatting by the kitchen door, not far from Daichi’s table. “Oh, remember how I said my friends are getting married?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?” Takeda pushed his glasses up on his nose with his thumb.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s them there. Shigeru and Kyoutani.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai tilted his head as he took the couple in, and then he and Takeda gave each other smiles that to Hinata seemed rather muted: One corner of Takeda’s mouth was twisted down, and Ukai’s eyes appeared to droop.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope it goes well for them”, Takeda mumbled, “truly.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata met his gaze. He was sure it would. They were both so young: He wanted it to work out well for them.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could say that, he remembered that he had promised Watari he would help with cleaning out some of the rooms on the bottom floor that morning and leaped to his feet. Watari probably would have started by now.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry- I have to go, but come and find me when you’re ready!”</p><p> </p><p>Gathering up his cutlery, he dashed out into the kitchen, past where Kyoutani was washing dishes, a cloth slung over his shoulder while Shigeru frowned and poked at a plate of half-fluffy, half-flat pancakes.</p><p> </p><p>Whirling about to leave, his eyes landed on the toaster, and his stomach growled. Daichi was right: He hadn’t eaten very much.</p><p> </p><p>A minute later, Hinata retraced his route past Shigeru and Kyoutani, a half-eaten slice of toast in one hand, waving enthusiastically to them; to Daichi and the others as he jogged by them; to Ukai and Takeda, finishing their meal; and even to a trio of middle-aged women who gave him inquiring looks.</p><p> </p><p>At the doorway, he hesitated. He had forgotten something else he wanted to say.</p><p> </p><p>“Asahi! We’re going to meet for a game of volleyball one day this week, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Asahi rubbed at his hair, a pink shade tinting his cheeks as half the room turned to gape at him. “Okay. Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s do it!” Sugawara cheered, standing and pumping his fists in the air.</p><p> </p><p>Kiyoko nudged his side. “Suga, please sit down.”</p><p> </p><p>He immediately dropped back into his seat.</p><p> </p><p>As Hinata went to go, although he was hurrying toward a morning filled with acrid-smelling cleaning products and filthy toilets, he felt elation bubbling in his chest: He was taking the initiative. And, even if the relationships he tried to form today didn't last, he was sure that the memories he had of them would.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling as pleased with himself as one could while cleaning a bathroom was just a perk of the job, he supposed.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Merely seeing the docks now was enough to elicit a kind of sorrowful stirring in Hinata’s chest at that point, an oddly Pavlovian response.</p><p> </p><p>It was no different this time, leading Takeda and Ukai along the promenade with their backpacks fully loaded.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing out across the water- and shielding his eyes to fight the glare of the overhead sun since, foolishly, Hinata had forgotten to bring his sunglasses and had relied on the sun shades the whole drive there- the ferry was still a fair distance away, although it was making swift progress in their direction. It would be coming into dock in the next several minutes, by his estimation.</p><p> </p><p>Several other people, primarily couples and parents with young children, were already milling about by the pier. A few held ice cream cones in their hands, licking and nibbling away, and Hinata was half-tempted to treat himself to one once this was over.</p><p> </p><p>Turning to Taked and Ukai once they had reached a spot several meters from the edge of the pier, Hinata said, in as pleasant a tone as he could muster; “I hope you guys enjoyed your stay here.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was lovely.” Takeda inclined his head politely. “Thank you, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>He looked to Ukai. “And was it at least nice to be back?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was…” Ukai blew some air from the side of his mouth, a cloud of smoke billowing with it from the cigarette he had lit as soon as they were out of the van. “Alright.”</p><p> </p><p>“It seemed to me as though you enjoyed yourself”, Takeda ruminated.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai let out another puff and smiled, putting his hands on his hips, when he caught his bespectacled colleague’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I did.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll have to come back and spend some more time here”, suggested Takeda, glancing to Hinata. “We can make some new…”</p><p> </p><p>The last few words of his sentence were drowned out by the horn of the ferry. Hinata jumped. He hadn’t noticed it getting so close. It chugged toward them growing ever larger against the horizon as it rolled over the glimmering tinfoil sea.</p><p> </p><p>Just as the sound of the horn faded, it was replaced by another startling noise: The pounding of footsteps, racing directly toward them.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had barely registered them when Ukai was already turning, his eyes widening in panic so that his pupils were ringed with thick white circles. His cigarette dropped through his fingers falling to the ground; Takeda swiftly stubbed it out under his shoe.</p><p> </p><p>Quickly, Hinata joined Ukai, looking back over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Shimada and Takinoue were sprinting toward them; although sprinting was a rather ambitious term for what they were doing, really. Shimada was running so fast that he looked comical, his glasses bouncing and his usual apron flying out behind him like a bat’s wings. Takinoue’s running was a little more professional, but his gate was odd and stilted.</p><p> </p><p>Slowing to a halt a dozen feet from them, Takinoue panted; “You weren’t really leaving without saying goodbye, were you, you asshole?”</p><p> </p><p>If his words weren’t enough to identify who he was speaking to, his pinpoint glare was fixated upon Ukai.</p><p> </p><p>“No”, the wedding planner protested, somewhat unconvincingly.</p><p> </p><p>“He… Maybe was”, Takeda said, and Ukai threw him a betrayed look.</p><p> </p><p>Beside Takinoue, Shimada was bent double, leaning on his knees. His glasses had steamed up, and so Hinata quietly offered him a tissue from his pocket, which he took with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Man”, Takinoue continued, “you owe us after all these years. An explanation, if not a chance to kick your ass at volleyball.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s head immediately whipped about, his brain kicking into gear. “Volleyball?”</p><p> </p><p>Having finally recovered, Shimada straightened up and elaborated; “We used to play together here, for fun. Us three.” He gestured between himself, Takinoue, and Ukai. “Keishin’s grandpa taught us. He used to coach some schools on the mainland.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai looked down. “I wasn’t that good at it. And I haven’t played in close to twenty years, guys. That was just- Something we did when we were kids. Why bother?”</p><p> </p><p>Eyes widening, Hinata gawped at him. He had never mentioned he played volleyball, not even when they had mentioned Hinata playing before. Something clicked into place in the back of his mind at the thought of Ukai’s grandfather: It was likely the same one he had been telling Takeda about.</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly. We’ll beat you, that’s why.” Takinoue crossed his arms and jerked his head. “Especially with Hinata on our team.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who said he’d be on your team?”, Takeda enquired, his voice quiet yet wavering with amusement. “He might be on ours’.”</p><p> </p><p>Ukai asked; “Oh, we’re a team now, are we?”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda simply bestowed a bemused smile upon him. Again, Hinata felt a spark of warmth that they seemed to have grown closer. He thought that Takeda might be good for Ukai in a way, since he seemed very understanding; and vice versa, with Ukai being a little blunter than Takeda’s sometimes meandering ways.</p><p> </p><p>The tone grew serious once more when Shimada implored, his voice hushed; “We mean it, Keishin. Don’t become a stranger.”</p><p> </p><p>What a strange choice of words. Could you really become strangers, once you knew somebody? Especially if they were as close as these three had supposedly been. Were all the people Hinata had tangentially known strangers to him now, if they had changed that much, and he had changed so much in parallel? He tried to think back over all of the people he had met, even the ones he had fleetingly played against, and found it impossible. Too many faces; too many years.</p><p> </p><p>As if summoned by his thoughts, a swarm of people appeared, descending from the boat and thronging around them, and were gone again in seemingly an instant, off to live their lives.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai swallowed, his hands scratching at thin air. “Yeah. I won’t. Here-” He handed his phone over to Shimada. “I’ll message you.”</p><p> </p><p>Shimada entered his number and passed it back.</p><p> </p><p>“And tell your mom if you do come to visit”, Takinoue said. “She’s always complaining she never sees you.”</p><p> </p><p>“She sees me plenty! She’s always coming to visit”, Ukai protested.</p><p> </p><p>“Not enough apparently.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda sighed. “You know how moms can be…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata thought of his own and nodded.</p><p> </p><p>More footsteps sounded along the promenade, which was not abnormal in itself with the sudden influx of people around them, but the voice screeching, “Keishin!” was.</p><p> </p><p>Ukai, Shimada, and Takinoue froze with identical expressions of anxiety.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah shit”, hissed Takinoue, “how’d she find us?”</p><p> </p><p>A blonde woman that Hinata sort-of knew from the bar was racing toward them, waving one arm over her head. Saeko. Tanaka Saeko.</p><p> </p><p>He had never spoken with her all that much. However, he could vividly recall the last time he had seen her: Doing shots with Tendou and then attempting to climb a tree while Kai coaxed her to come down in a manner akin to beckoning a cat. She was… Entertaining, to put it mildly, and she often brought a large set of Taiko drums with her, which she would sometimes beat at the end of the night to signal the party was over. Hinata couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit intimidated by her. Especially since he had no clue how she was running like that in high, block sandal heels.</p><p> </p><p>Saeko swooped in closer and, without hesitating, dragged Ukai down into a hug that swiftly morphed into a headlock, her knuckles digging into his hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I only just found out you were here, right as you were leaving!”, she cried. “What the fuck, man? I missed my old drinking buddy!”</p><p> </p><p>Over Ukai’s back, Hinata saw Shimada and Takinoue exchanging looks that were part-amused, part-guilty, and part genuinely relieved.</p><p> </p><p>Their relief quickly turned to terror, however, when Saeko released a struggling Ukai and spotted them.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you two.” She grinned at them. “Long time no see. You don’t come up to the bar anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Takinoue shrugged. “It’s changed a lot.”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys really have turned into boring old men. It’s still fun there. This guy will tell you, he goes.” She pointed to Hinata, who found himself freezing up like a deer in headlights as she sidled over him to mock whisper; “Did you know, this guy used to always get alcohol for me and my friends from his parents’ store, back when we were too young to drink. He was a local legend.” She dug her thumb in Ukai’s direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, really?” Takeda too looked a bit thrown, but he eyed Ukai with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Saeko thumped Ukai heartily on the back. His face had turned an ashen shade and he stared anywhere except for the others involved in the current conversation.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, look”, he said. “The ferry is here. Better go.”</p><p> </p><p>She pulled him in for one final hug before tottering away. Hinata caught Takinoue rolling his eyes before he and Shimada also pulled Ukai into an embrace.</p><p> </p><p>Not wanting Takeda to feel left out, Hinata held out his hand to him. “Goodbye. It was nice to meet both of you.”</p><p> </p><p>Takeda took it with a smile, and they shook.</p><p> </p><p>The two wedding planners went to walk away, but Takeda paused suddenly, catching Ukai’s arm, and slung his backpack down to the ground. He knelt and began rifling through it.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata tilted his head. Had they forgotten something?</p><p> </p><p>A moment later Takeda’s camera emerged; not the professional one, but the one from the other night, which printed photos. He fiddled with it for a minute before holding it out to Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Befuddled, Hinata dutifully snapped the photo of the two of them smiling with the bay to their backs, before taking the printed photo and handing it over.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of taking it, Takeda shook his head, beaming. “This way you’ll remember our time together. Even if something happens or life gets in the way and we never make it back.”</p><p> </p><p>Out of nowhere, Hinata’s eyes felt very hot. He handed the camera back, and then pulled Takeda into a brief, one-armed hug. “Thank you for everything.” He blinked at Ukai over Takeda’s shoulder, hoping the warmth he felt came across.</p><p> </p><p>A few seconds later, they had melted away through the crowd. Hinata caught a few glimpses of them boarding the ferry and waved, although they appeared not to see him, too busy caught up in their own conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Shimada and Takinoue and Saeko all bid their farewells and left Hinata alone by the docks.</p><p> </p><p>He stared down at the photo in his hand for a moment, before tucking it into his pocket and turning to go and look for the elderly couple that he was supposed to be meeting.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was not entirely certain what Shigeru had done with his hair.</p><p> </p><p>“He cut it!” Watari howled with laughter.</p><p> </p><p>“I could see that much.” Hinata rocked back and forth a little where he sat on his bed, the soles of his feet pressed together and knees out at opposite angles as if he were stretching. He looked down at Shigeru, who had walked in and flopped face-first onto the bed without speaking. “Why did you do that?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru’s muffled voice replied; “I don’t know.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari finally recovered from his hysterics, perching at the very end of the mattress. With a somber tone, he said; “Hinata, I diagnose him with a terminal case of going through it right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” Hinata nodded slowly. He did not understand what Watari meant by that, but it made Shigeru raise his head and turn to look at them.</p><p> </p><p>“Terminal?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bit his tongue. The younger man's hair was far shorter now, exposing his thin eyebrows and a pale slither of forehead. Adding to that, it had been dyed an odd silvery shade, although tiny patches of light brown showed through in certain areas. It was… Not a flattering look, to say the least.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you do now?”, a voice asked, and Hinata twisted back to see Kyoutani standing at the divide between the ‘bedroom’ segment of his hut and the rest of the building. His nose was wrinkled in distaste as he looked his fiancé up and down.</p><p> </p><p>How had he even gotten in?</p><p> </p><p>Oh, yeah. The lock was broken again, which apparently meant that it was fine for just about anybody to walk through the door.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling over on the bed and putting one hand on his hip to strike a pose, flipping his nearly non-existent bangs back, Shigeru demanded; “Do I look hot?”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani wrinkled his nose. “No.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru flopped back onto his stomach. “You know, guys, I feel really loved right now. Truly.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry if I gave you the impression that I loved you.”</p><p> </p><p>He glared back over his shoulder at the shorter man. “I’ll kill you.”</p><p> </p><p>"Shouldn't have stolen my bleach."</p><p> </p><p>The two of them sounded so serious that for a moment that Hinata was concerned; then Shigeru propelled himself upward, racing forward with arms outstretched to tackle Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>Barely flinching, Kyoutani sidestepped the incoming silver missile, and Watari descended into hysterics as Shigeru flew past his fiancé, tripped, and almost fell straight into the table.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wondered what it said about his age that his initial reaction was to worry about the table.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani reached out to steady Shigeru, but he had already righted himself and he instead caught Kyoutani’s hand with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Eyes wide and voice sweet, he asked; “Are you going to help me set up the beds?”</p><p> </p><p>A blush spread over Kyoutani’s cheeks. “Beds?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re setting up some beds for the wedding guests. Upstairs.” Shigeru pointed overhead.</p><p> </p><p>Ah. Right. That was what they had come over for.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s eyes fixed on the massive pile of bedding that Watari and Shierug had hauled through the door and deposited in one corner. He supposed the urge he felt to jump into it probably meant he wasn’t that mature.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he got to his feet and went to gather it up.</p><p> </p><p>“Wedding guests? You want them to stay here?”, Kyoutani was saying, his voice perplexed. “Well, I guess we can put Kindaichi and Kunimi up here, so they’re not crashing on Watari’s floor anymore…”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I mean important guests!”, protested Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani snorted. “What important guests?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you going to help or not?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine, I’ll help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned with the bundle in his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Hinata, let me help you with that!” Shigeru dashed over, taking half of the pile from his arms.</p><p> </p><p>He exhaled in relief. Trying to make his way up those precarious, dark steps with all of those in his arms was a recipe for disaster.</p><p> </p><p>The two of them traipsed up the stairs together, huffing a little at the effort, emerging into the attic.</p><p> </p><p>It was far different than it had been even just a day before. Hinata stared about at the empty space, now no longer filled with boxes and cobwebs. After dropping Takeda and Ukai off, he had spent the afternoon clearing the space out, and it was currently… Well, not spotless, but as clean as it was going to be. The boxes and tatter had been piled into one corner with an old beach towel thrown on top to cover them. It could almost double as a table.</p><p> </p><p>It was too good for the likes of Kageyama, Hinata thought spitefully. But then perhaps Ukai and Iwaizumi would turn out to be nice people; he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of them without actually having met them. They seemed okay, from what little he had seen. Iwaizumi appeared friendly, and although Ushijima seemed stern, he had also been the captain of a couple of different teams, which said something for how reliable he must have been. Maybe Hinata’s efforts wouldn’t be a total waste.</p><p> </p><p>He stepped forward into the center of the room. In front of him, evenly spaced apart, the metal frames of three beds sat in a row. Bare mattresses balanced on top of them, lugged up the narrow staircase by himself and Watari; which had been a workout in itself. It had taken forever to assemble those. It had been a shock when Shigeru presented them with the boxes: Apparently, he really had this all planned out.</p><p> </p><p>Looking at them, Hinata was reminded dimly of some fairytale he had heard Nice reading to her and Heitor’s kids. He smiled to himself.</p><p> </p><p>The wind picked up outside, and the tarp which they had pinned to the ceiling to cover the hole in the roof rippled. Hinata winced. Hopefully, that would last. He reassured himself that they would be heading into Summer shortly: The chances of snow or a violently cold storm should be small. Monsoons and rain, on the other hand…</p><p> </p><p>“Why are these up here?” Kyoutani huffed behind him, and he spun about.</p><p> </p><p>In one corner, Shigeru had set his half of the bundle on the ground. Hinata hurried to join him and, as he turned to his fiancé, he replied; “I told you, for guests. Start putting the sheets on, I’ll go get some pillows.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, he disappeared back down the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>Watari, just behind Kyoutani, nodded. “I’ll get some covers.”</p><p> </p><p>He left too, and Hinata found himself standing alone with Kyoutani.</p><p> </p><p>The man was regarding him suspiciously. Hinata swallowed.</p><p> </p><p>A vague sick feeling came over him; a result of the guilt that Shigeru still hadn’t told his fiancé about what was going on here. It was weird: Surely Kyoutani would support him. Shigeru must trust him, to be marrying him.</p><p> </p><p>Still, it wasn’t Hinata’s place to tell, so he kept his mouth shut, hooked out one of the sheets, and began fitting it onto the nearest mattress.</p><p> </p><p>“Erm… Can you get that corner, please?”, Hinata finally asked when he came to the realization that he was struggling. Curse his short arms.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani nodded. “Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>He gripped the other end of the sheet, tucking it under, and then they moved onto the next bed. They worked in silence, going through the motions like a team that had operated on the same court for years.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know who’s going to come and stay here?”, Kyoutani asked, his tone light and curious but his gaze fixed on what he was doing.</p><p> </p><p>“No, sorry.” Hinata kept his own eyes down as he answered, focusing on smoothing out the sheet. “Oh, I forgot to ask you, but can you fix my lock again?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s broken again?”</p><p> </p><p>“Watari and I were trying to get the mattresses through the door earlier and…”</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” Kyoutani sighed. “Yeah, I can do it.”</p><p> </p><p>Despite his resigned tone, he looked annoyed, scowl back on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry”, Hinata blurted out. “Did… Did you want me to pay you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you want me to pay you? Because I keep making you fix my lock?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not making me do anything”, said Kyoutani. They wordlessly moved on to the third and final bed. “Told you before, I enjoy fixing stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitated, turning over his reply in his head before speaking. He still felt as though he didn’t know Kyoutani that well, and this was a rare chance to speak with him alone.</p><p> </p><p>He asked; “Did you always want to work somewhere like this, then? Doing handiwork, I mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t in my plans, exactly. I used to want to be a basketball player back in school, but that wasn't realistic, and then I…” He shrugged. “When I came here, I found what I wanted.”</p><p> </p><p>It was nice seeing someone so young being so confident in what they wanted. In a way, he felt that he had always been the same. He had known, after seeing that first game, that he wanted to play volleyball, in some shape or form.</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani continued; “You know, Shigeru really has it all here. A supportive family, a home we can work on and improve, a business where he can put his skills to work. But sometimes I wonder…” His words trailed away.</p><p> </p><p>“You wonder?” Hinata tilted his head. Why was Kyoutani telling him this?</p><p> </p><p>The man was staring fixedly down at the sheets, his eyes troubled. It seemed to Hinata as though this was something he had been thinking about for some time. Perhaps he wanted to get it off of his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Sometimes I wonder if this is what he really wants. When it’s just us, sometimes, he talks about everything he wants to do, and all the places he wants to go. But whenever I ask, he says he’s only daydreaming.” He stood up straight, and Hinata noticed that he had been smoothing down the same part of the sheet for a minute now and stood too. “Has he ever spoken to you about anything like that?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swallowed, looking away from the questioning stare that had been fixed upon him.</p><p> </p><p>“Not really.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyoutani sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing enough to make him happy.”</p><p> </p><p>If he had been twenty- no, even ten- years younger, Hinata may have blurted out the secret he kept, compelled to do so by the heartbroken look on the other man’s face. It was obvious that he and Shigeru cared deeply for each other, yet he knew that the lies between them could take root and grow and spread until they overwhelmed them both.</p><p> </p><p>He opened his mouth to say something, although he was not entirely sure what was going to come out, when there came a series of loud shuffling and scraping noises, along with the sounds of general chatter as Shigeru and Watari came back up the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru paused to look at them as he came through the doorway. His arms were loaded with pillows.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, great!”, he cried, moving forward to kiss a reddening Kyoutani’s cheek. “Thanks, guys!”</p><p> </p><p>Watari traipsed behind him, dragging three duvets. “Hey, you could have helped get these up the stairs, asshole.”</p><p> </p><p>With a sly grin, Shigeru gave an exaggerated apology and rushed to help his friend.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them worked together to set the pillows and duvets out on the bets, folding the remaining blankets from earlier over the top.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, whoever’s staying here is going to be nice and warm”, Kyoutani remarked from the other end of the room, where he and Watari were working together to set one bed up.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s no heating up here”, Watari explained, aggressively fluffing a pillow up between both hands, “so they’ll need them.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru leaned over to whisper in Hinata’s ear, and he froze when he heard the words; “They’re arriving in three days. There’s another group scheduled to come in on the same ferry, so you can collect them all together and bring them up. Watari will meet you at the villa so he can take over the other group, and then you and I can bring them here.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata frowned down at the pillow he had just set down. “Why aren’t you picking them up?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to freak them out too early on. Just bring them up and I’ll meet them up here.</p><p><br/>
Well, he was already involved as it was; he might as well do this for Shigeru, too. He couldn’t deny that part of him was curious, looking forward to seeing the guests and what they would be like. And, of course, the reason behind their visit, unbeknownst to them: Discovering who Shigeru’s father was.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… Okay”, Hinata relented. “This feels really like spy stuff, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru winked at him as he drew away. “Exciting, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>Alright, so perhaps it was. Honestly, since he had settled in things had been starting to get a little routine.</p><p> </p><p>Even as his stomach fluttered slightly, Hinata smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait to see if they were really going to be able to pull this off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ah. The one regret I have with the way I've planned this fic is that, in general, Karasuno don't have a huge role in the story (with the obvious exception of the first years) :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Kiyoko Is A Goddess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally, I've been waiting for so long to get to this chapter so the story can really get started :D hope you're well if you're reading this and that you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata watched with satisfaction as the ball arced against the sky. The sand compacted under the balls of his feet as he tensed and propelled himself skyward, palm slamming against the rough surface, striking the court opposite, and bounding away.</p><p> </p><p>Sugawara let out a low whistle, wiping the sweat from his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“That can’t be fair, can it?”, Daichi grumbled, moving forward to join his partner. He was panting and half-covered in sand. It was even in his hair. As Hinata watched, Sugawara began dusting at his arms to knock the granules away.</p><p> </p><p>“No matter how many times it comes at you, you never get used to it”, Asahi sympathized, before turning back to his teammate. “Nice work, Hinata.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks”, Hinata smirked, returning to his starting position. He sank into a squat, waiting for Sugawara to retrieve the ball where he had scurried after it once Daichi got fed up and shooed him away.</p><p> </p><p>What a change this made, from earlier that day. That morning, Hinata had spent a few hours aiding Watari in scrubbing down the bathrooms. It had not been the most pleasant experience. Even now, eyeing Asahi and Kiyoko’s long hair made him gag a little, wondering if theirs was among the clumps he had pulled from the drains.</p><p> </p><p>Still, Watari had taken the time to inform him of their plan of action for after their important guests arrived tomorrow: Shigeru was going to try and ask his father for more time off, claiming he was busy wedding duties, and so he hopefully would be able to help Hinata out with them.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re not going to make you do all the work”, Watari had assured him, plunger held aloft like he was a samurai holding up his sword to make a vow.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata inhaled deeply. The fresh air was a stark contrast to the chemicals he had been breathing all morning. He didn’t have to think about any of that out here, worry about any of that. Out here, he could just play. Once again, he was grateful for the last couple of days, in which he and Daichi’s group had ended up making playing beach volleyball together a habit.</p><p> </p><p>Initially that morning, he had been paired with Kiyoko, playing against Daichi and Asahi. Unfortunately, Kiyoko’s leg gave up toward the end of the game. She explained to Hinata, as he helped her over to the sidelines, concerned, that she had once been a hurdle jumper until an injury had snatched that dream away.</p><p> </p><p>She thankfully seemed to have perked back up by the time the next match began. Sugawara had taken her place, and Kiyoko dutifully undertook her role as a referee, with far more impartiality than Sugawara had shown in the previous game. That one had been fun, too, victory only just snatched from Daichi and Asahi’s hands, Sugawara whooping and cheering as enthusiastically.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t long before Hinata was able to cinch this match also. Daichi was obviously growing tired, and Sugawara was struggling to cover his mistakes. When Asahi sent the winning spike whistling over the net, he and Hinata high-fived while Daichi grumbled in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>“Playing against you really doesn’t feel fair”, he told Hinata as he ducked under the net, wiping at his forehead. While his voice was serious, there was a teasing glint in his dark eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, Daichi. I’ll partner with you next time”, Hinata offered, and then added, so as not so sound as though he were insulting their skill level; “And you guys have been doing really well. You’ve all beaten me tons of times this week. I’m just on a roll today.”</p><p> </p><p>Spinning to retrieve the ball, he was surprised to see that Asahi had dropped to his hands and knees in the sand. His long brown hair had wrestled its way free of its ponytail and hung loose over his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Um…Asahi?”, Hinata tried, approaching. “Are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine. Just winded.” Asahi looked up at him, face red. “And my pride is hurt a little. I thought you said my stamina would improve if I kept walking up that hill every day.”</p><p> </p><p>Laughing, Hinata extended a hand to pull him to his feet. “It does take some time…”</p><p> </p><p>“What now?”, Sugawara wondered, stretching his arms one way and then another. “Are we playing another game?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think Asahi might die if we do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you want to head to that café instead?”, suggested Daichi.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata smiled: They had been going to Yachi’s café for a break each day. Where it had been busy he had not had the chance to speak to his friend, sadly; but she did wave at them when they walked in, and spent the past two evenings gushing to Hinata over the phone about how much she wanted to speak to Kiyoko. In other words, she was crushing hard.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go!”, he cheered, before pausing and adding; “If that’s alright with you?”</p><p> </p><p>Asahi pushed his hair back from his face and fanned himself. “I don’t care where we go as long as I can sit down.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kiyoko!” Daichi called over to her. She was still sitting on the beach, a sunhat perched on her head, looking out over the sea. As they watched, she clambered to her feet and brushed the sand from her legs, coming to join them. “We’re going to the café.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, great. I could do with a drink.” She grinned. “Just watching you running about is thirsty work.”</p><p> </p><p>They made their way along the promenade and inside, taking their seats between two small tables close to the window. Hinata was pleased to see Yachi approaching them.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello!”, she cried breathlessly, tucking an imaginary loose strand of hair behind one ear. “You were here the other day.”</p><p> </p><p>“We were”, Kiyoko confirmed. She gave a small, almost imperceptible smile.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata held his breath.</p><p> </p><p>They each placed their orders, tittering with laughter when Sugawara asked if it was too early for an alcoholic drink.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi tucked her notepad under her arm, went out to the kitchen, and returned shortly after with a tray of drinks which were very close to spilling, considering the force with which the waitress was shaking. She set each one down on the table before holding out a scrap of folded paper.</p><p> </p><p>“Um… Excuse me, miss…”</p><p> </p><p>Kiyoko looked up at her.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, with the intensity of a hawk watching a mouse, she unfolded the paper and set it down on the table, in front of Kiyoko.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stared. It was a drawing. A rather lifelike one; not in the sense that it appeared true to life, but rather that it captured something that made the woman on the paper stand out unmistakably as Kiyoko. Perhaps it was the sheen of her black hair, the rosy lips, or the angular nose. In any case, it was obvious who Yachi’s muse had been.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m really sorry if this is weird but- after you left the other day I did this! Because you’re very beautiful!” Yachi kept her head down, hands clasped in front of her as though begging, while she spoke.</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of silence. Finally, Yachi lifted her head, revealing a pink face and well-bitten lips.</p><p> </p><p>The look Kiyoko gave her was a kind one. A knowing yet sad smile, set under a pair of sympathetic eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you”, she said slowly. “You have a lot of skill, this is wonderful. Although you made me out to be far better-looking than I am.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no- that’s not true.” The waitress turned red. “P- please, I would like you to have it.”</p><p> </p><p>Without any fuss, Kiyoko folded it and slipped it into her pocket.</p><p> </p><p>And that was the end of the interaction: Yachi spun about and made her way out back, taking the drinks tray with her, shoulders shaking and steps sounding louder than usual in the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata felt his heart-tugging at his feet. He wanted nothing more than to get up and follow his friend, to speak to her and console her at her apparent rejection. While he knew that would be just a single short incident to a lot of people, for others it was monumentally devastating.</p><p> </p><p>Slumping down in his chair, he took a sip from his tea.</p><p> </p><p>“That was your friend, right, Hinata?”, Sugawara asked, nodding toward where Yachi had disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Her art is so good! She seems nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“She does”, agreed Kiyoko. She looked at Hinata as if she were trying to communicate something to him. Hinata tilted his head, not understanding, but she had already looked away.</p><p> </p><p>As he sipped at his tea, Hinata noted to himself to spend some time with Yachi so that she could talk. An idea hit him: He could invite her to the bar tonight. Bokuto had mentioned that there was going to be some kind of small event going on, although Hinata had not been planning to go as Bokuto himself had said he would be busy. But it would be nice to bring Yachi. The two of them could sit at the bar, have a drink, and vent their frustrations and heartbreaks to each other.</p><p> </p><p>The only thing that gave him pause was the realization that tomorrow Shigeru’s potential fathers would be coming; although they weren’t due to come in until the afternoon. He would be up and ready by then; he wasn’t expecting to stay for long.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Picking the path through the woods was familiar now to Hinata: Even with the fog that billowed about their feet, it was easy to sidestep winding roots and twining undergrowth. He held onto Yachi’s arm to better guide her through in some of the trickier places, the two of them cackling as Hinata himself fell face-first into a sapling; not because of any ill-placed step but because his laces had come undone and he had failed to notice.</p><p> </p><p>Not many people were there that night, he saw as they approached. Through the trees, around the roaring fire, Hinata could just make out some of the regulars from town. Many of them he knew by name; others he only vaguely recognized. It was also quieter than usual in terms of the actual noise level. There was no music tonight, just the sound of the fire and the cicadas chirping around them, a low rumble of general chitchat.</p><p> </p><p>They weaved through the shadowy trunks and then clambered over the logs and fallen trees that marked the edge of the clearing.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata helped Yachi across but, as he turned away from her, found his shoulder smacking straight into a solid mass.</p><p> </p><p>At first, he thought perhaps a tree had somehow sprouted and sprung up in the few seconds he had looked away, only to discover a moment later, upon looking up, that he had turned straight into the torso of a rather large man.</p><p> </p><p>Trembling, Hinata opened his mouth to apologize, squinting up at the man’s face.</p><p> </p><p>His nerves abruptly diminished when he saw that he knew this man.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! It’s-” He paused, unable to remember the name. “The moped guy!”</p><p> </p><p>Confirming his thoughts, the moped guy’s roommate, the one who had kept smiling at him and had unsettled Yamaguchi, popped up next to them, having seemingly been hidden behind the behemoth of a body beside him before.</p><p> </p><p>“Kiryuu”, he corrected. His wide smile flickered from Hinata to Yachi and back. “How is it running?”</p><p> </p><p>“Very well!”, enthused Hinata. “I don’t use it all the time, I try to walk as much as I can and I need to use the van for work, but it’s so good to have the moped. I love going for rides on it now and then.”</p><p> </p><p>The roommate dipped his head. “That’s good.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you haven’t sold anymore of his stuff, have you?”, Hinata joked.</p><p> </p><p>Still keeping the pleasant smile, the roommate said; “Nothing that he knows about.”</p><p> </p><p>A strangely nervous look flitted over Kiryuu’s face and, rather rapidly, he half-bowed to them and said; “Goodbye!”</p><p> </p><p>The roommate waved, and they were gone, vanishing over to the other side of the clearing by the bar.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Okay. Goodbye.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked at Yachi.</p><p> </p><p>“Friends of yours’?”, she asked, and he shrugged. He had never seen them here before, or the two men they were standing with. One had spiked blond hair, and the other a weird bowl cut.</p><p> </p><p>Speaking of bowl cuts…</p><p> </p><p>Peering over toward the fire, Hinata caught sight of Goshiki. As usual, he was standing with a couple of the others who worked there: Tendou, Yamagata, and another man he had seen a couple of times before who had a… Not-quite-a-bowl cut, his light brown bangs slanted at an odd angle. When Hinata had seen him prior to tonight had always been hovering near Tendou and Goshiki and the others, although he appeared to be a guest, and was quiet in comparison to the group he associated with.</p><p> </p><p>Normally, that was the group to go to if you wanted to have a drink and dance and have fun, no conversation necessary. Except, tonight, something seemed off. It took Hinata a few seconds to place what it was.</p><p> </p><p>The bizarre thing about their group tonight was that they were all wearing actual, regular clothes: T-shirts, jeans, shorts although it was by no means hot at night yet. Hinata felt that that fact should not have been as shocking to him as it was.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi whispered in his ear; “Why is Tendou wearing clothes?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s what I was wondering.”</p><p> </p><p>Just then, Tendou spotted them.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hey! Shortie! And café girl!” He waved them over enthusiastically, spindly arms whirring like windscreen wipers.</p><p> </p><p>Well, they had no choice now. As they approached, Hinata felt the warmth of the fire engulfing him, although his back still had chills where it was turned toward the cold chasm of the forest. It was an odd combination.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, guys”, he waved, a little milder than Tendou had.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi smiled. “Hello.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?” By that, he meant, why are you dressed; only, to ask that outright would have been rude, of course.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re guests tonight!”, Goshiki announced proudly, his voice booming over the crackling of the flames.</p><p> </p><p>The man with light brown hair winced and batted him back with one hand “Tone it down, weirdo.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Shirabu’s birthday tomorrow”, Yamagata informed them helpfully. He nodded toward the now-scowling man. “We’re here to celebrate.”</p><p> </p><p>“And it’s Golden Week!”, Tendou cheered. “So no work!”</p><p> </p><p>“Not that you work much anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I have a job!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, cool.” Hinata nodded, ignoring their bickering aside. “He doesn’t work here, does he?”</p><p> </p><p>Shirabu shook his head, answering the question before Yamagata or one of the others could. His tone was short. “Definitely not. I’m a doctor. I have no idea how I became friends with these guys.”</p><p> </p><p>Tendou placed one hand over his heart. “You loved us so much you came back here after graduation.”</p><p> </p><p>“Someone’s got to keep you alive.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, if it’s your birthday, let me treat you to some drinks!”, Hinata offered. He was only planning to have one himself, anyway, in comparison to the several he often ended up consuming when he came here: It wouldn’t exactly break his budget to pay for them.</p><p> </p><p>Shirabu’s face- and the tight grip he had on his drink- relaxed minutely. “That’s very kind of you.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata jumped as Tendou’s hand came down on his back and his wide-eyed face appeared right beside his own. “Now is this guy great or is he great?”</p><p> </p><p>“Tendou, can you actually remember his name?”, asked Yamagata.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata raised an eyebrow at Yachi and she nodded. The two of them slipped away toward the bar, Hinata listening as Tendou protested that of course he did, it was shortie.</p><p> </p><p>Yaku and Kai were working the bar: Kuroo apparently had the night off as he was going to be helping Bokuto out with something at the park the next day. When Hinata asked for a round of beers, Yaku nodded and told him he would send them over in a minute.</p><p> </p><p>On their way back to the group, Yachi muttered; “Tendou can be a bit… Much, don’t you think?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata didn’t blame her for thinking that way. Tendou was a lot to handle. But he was also fun and a nice guy when it came down to it. He had seen Tendou helping drunk people home before: He tended to be one of the ones who, at the end of the night, went around shepherding people through the forest and toward home.</p><p> </p><p>“We can leave them once we get the drinks if you want?”, he suggested. They had said they weren’t going to stay late, either way.</p><p> </p><p>Yachi waved one hand. “Oh, no, it’s fine! I want to be here. I think I’m just being nervous over nothing again.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata knocked their shoulders together as they remerged with the group. The drinks arrived not long after.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata”, Goshiki turned to him, his cheeks tinged pink. “I watched some of your games!”</p><p> </p><p>Shirabu sighed. “On my laptop.”</p><p> </p><p>“You were so cool!”</p><p> </p><p>A blush spread over Hinata’s own cheeks. It was nice to hear, but he still didn’t think he’d get over the rare praise he received from people he knew here when they discovered his past.</p><p> </p><p>Goshiki, as it emerged, was well-versed in volleyball, having played all through high school. They quickly descended into chatter that left Yachi and the others looking puzzled.</p><p> </p><p>“Goshiki”, Yamagata cut in after a few minutes, “are you allowed to be drinking that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, let him have fun, we’ll take care of him if he gets drunk. Now, who wants another round?” Tendou stared around the group.</p><p> </p><p>“Not for me.” Hinata shook his head but, to his surprise, Yachi nodded.</p><p> </p><p>The conversation drifted, turning to other topics. The one which Hinata had been avoiding thinking about all day crept into the forefront of his mind: How was tomorrow going to go, realistically? Could they pull it off? He had never been much good with secrets, and he hadn’t managed to shake the guilt over lying to Oikawa.</p><p> </p><p>Noticing that Yachi also seemed to have checked out of the conversation, he murmured; “Are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>For several seconds, his friend eyed him without speaking. “Not really. Are you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Worried.”</p><p> </p><p>She made a small noise of sympathy. “About tomorrow?”</p><p> </p><p>It was tomorrow. It was really happening. In less than twenty-four hours, two of the former top pro-volleyball players in Japan would be staying with him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, Hinata admitted. “I feel like this is all going to go wrong and I probably shouldn’t have agreed to it. But if I tell Oikawa now, I feel like this will hurt him. And it’s also Shigeru’s thing to tell, really.”</p><p> </p><p>Yachi tipped her head to one side. “He’s going to find out eventually. From you or someone else.”</p><p> </p><p>He frowned unhappily, but he had to admit she had a point. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Clumsily, she looped an arm around his back and patted his shoulder, and he looped one about her shoulders in return, drawing her into an awkward one-armed hug. “Are you still sad?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Because you’re lonely?”, he checked, concerned.</p><p> </p><p>“No. I have you, don’t I?” She nudged him, and he was suddenly struck by how different she seemed from the nervy waitress he had first met. He was glad he’d gotten to know this side of her; the friendly, reassuring side. “I mean- you know what I mean.” She took a drink and confessed; “But I do feel down about today.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata guessed; “About Kiyoko?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Dating was hard even back on the mainland. And here there seems to be a distinct lack of lesbians, for all of the LGBT folk around. I’m starting to wonder if I should head back.”</p><p> </p><p>Unconsciously, he tightened his grip. “Don’t leave me, Yachi!”</p><p> </p><p>The tips of her ponytail tickled his arm as she leaned her head back to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, there!”, a voice interrupted to Hinata’s left. “I remember you!”</p><p> </p><p>It was the blonde lady who worked there, the one who had known Ukai. She grinned at the two of them, a half-empty glass balanced in one hand. Unlike the others there, she still wore her standard clothes: A tight vest top and a short skirt.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello”, Hinata greeted her politely. “Tanaka, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just Saeko, thanks.” She looked between him and Yachi. “How are we doing tonight?”</p><p> </p><p>It occurred to Hinata that perhaps she was a little concerned: Yachi was not exactly drunk, but she also clearly was not sober. He saw now that perhaps that was why she was acting a little bolder than usual.</p><p> </p><p>As if playing into that suspicion, Yachi announced; “I’m sad.”</p><p> </p><p>Saeko tilted her head, shuffling closer to hear better over the general chatter. “Oh, how come?”</p><p> </p><p>“A beautiful girl rejected me.” Yachi sniffled. “She accepted my drawing, but… I’ll probably never see her again.”</p><p> </p><p>“She’s still at the villa”, Hinata reminded her.</p><p> </p><p>That seemed to have been the wrong thing to say; her sniffling increased.</p><p> </p><p>“But she doesn’t love me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Probably not. Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“I should never have even done that drawing. I’m so stupid. Kiyoko is a goddess and I’m just a- a-” She groaned and slammed her head against Hinata’s arm.</p><p> </p><p>Saeko was nodding beside them. “Oh, ow, I’m so sorry. Unrequited love sucks.” She perked up. “Here, I’ll get you guys another drink, on the house, and you guys can tell me about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata began to protest; “No, it’s okay.” He was sure she meant well, but it probably wasn’t the best course of action right then.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>You</em> look like you need it.” Saeko glanced him up and down. “Actually, you look uptight today. You normally seem chill. What’s up?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh- I, um, I have some important guests coming tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? Cool! My little brother is coming to visit tomorrow, too! First time in forever. I think he’s feeling guilty because it’s my birthday soon, too. Although he is bringing some of his old school friends, so I think he’s trying to squeeze in a holiday with them as well.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, interesting.” Hinata nodded, trying to listen to what Saeko was telling him while also patting at Yachi’s head. She had tucked her face into his shoulder, which now felt wet. “We should probably go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata.” Yachi raised her head, and to his alarm her face was blotchy and had snot everywhere. “Let’s have one more drink.”</p><p> </p><p>She wasn’t slurring or giggling at all, which tended to be her two biggest tells when she was very drunk: Hinata thought that, if he had to guess, she was more emotional than actually drunk. Disorientated by her feelings.</p><p> </p><p>Frowning, he asked; “Are you sure, Yachi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes”, she answered immediately. Her tear-filled eyes were sparkling in the light from the fire. “I want one more.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata chewed on his lip. He turned to the bar. It wasn’t like they were with strangers or anything, or like they were going to get blackout drunk. Yaku and Kai would tell them to stop if they thought they were getting too drunk.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, he relented. “Okay then.”</p><p> </p><p>Saeko raised her hands in the air and cheered.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Hinata awoke the next morning to the sound of his alarm blaring insistently beside his ear.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he rolled onto his side. It was so nice and warm, bundled up in his blankets. And it was peaceful, too. Or it had been before the alarm. He hadn’t slept so well in a while.</p><p> </p><p>Blinking open his eyes, he saw the morning sunlight streaming vaguely in from the window, and the photo of Ukai and Takeda which he had pinned to the wall, smiling down at him. He smiled back. He was going to have to get some more pictures. Shigeru and Watari and Oikawa definitely, and Kyoutani and Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Maybe Kindaichi and Kunimi. Yachi, of course, and Yamaguchi and Bokuto and the rest of Bokuto’s friends. Kenma, if he came back.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, fed up with the dull ringing tone, Hinata reached for his phone and flicked it off, blinking blearily up at the screen.</p><p> </p><p>Crap.</p><p> </p><p>The afternoon ferry was due to arrive in ten minutes’ time.</p><p> </p><p>Floundering out of bed and tugging on clothes, his eyes pricked with tears as he attempted to swallow around the dryness in his throat.</p><p> </p><p>What had even happened last night?</p><p> </p><p>He remembered drinking, a lot. Insisting that he could only stay for one more, and then that one turned into two, and then a round of shots. Yachi’s red smiling face.</p><p> </p><p>Where was she? Had she made it home okay?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata fired a quick text off to her as he used the bathroom, waving goodbye to Molten, and then sprinted toward the main area of the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa was slumped in reception, looking at his phone. He lowered it and straightened up when Hinata rushed in.</p><p> </p><p>“Matsun I need the keys to the van!”, he blurted out, slamming his hands against the desk.</p><p> </p><p>One dark eyebrow shot up.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, chill. Are you okay, Hinata? You weren’t at breakfast. Oikawa was all for organizing a search party if you didn't show up by dinner.”</p><p> </p><p>“I went out last night”, he admitted sheepishly. “It was a mistake.”</p><p> </p><p>Matsukawa chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.” He hooked the keys out from the drawer, tossed them to Hinata, and then threw an unopened bottle of water along with it. “Make sure you’re good to drive.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll be alright, just going to the docks and back. Thank you!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata did pause outside, shaking his hands and rolling his ankles, before uncapping the bottle and draining half of it. If anything, he felt well-rested. The alcohol seemed to have left his system. Still, he would take it slow.</p><p> </p><p>As he climbed into the van, his phone went off. A message from Yachi:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Yeah lol Saeko and Tendou and his friends walked with us. Were you that drunk? Sorry &gt;.&lt;</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Relieved that she was okay, he pocketed it and resolved to get back to her later.</p><p> </p><p>The gods must have been watching over him, for he was lucky that day: The ferry was just pulling into the docks as he arrived.</p><p> </p><p>Frantically making his way through the crowd pouring from the boat, he looked left and right, standing on his tiptoes. Oh, going to collect them all at once had been a poor idea. Why had Shigeru said he couldn’t pick them up, again?</p><p> </p><p>“Hi! Are you looking for us?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata froze, unable to move.</p><p> </p><p>Could it be?</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, he turned around.</p><p> </p><p>And was met with the stares of five men he did not recognize in the slightest.</p><p> </p><p>Without thinking, he blurted out; “I’m sorry, who are you?”</p><p> </p><p>One of the men- not the man who had spoken initially; his voice had sounded different- with a bald head said; “We’re meant to be going to the Villa Buena Vista. Sorry, it just looked like you were looking for someone. We thought it might be us.”</p><p> </p><p>They began to turn away.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s mind raced. “No! Wait!”</p><p> </p><p>One by one, they glanced back at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m from the Villa Buena Vista”, he amended politely, straightening his shirt and glancing about. Still no sign of the others. “Sorry about that. I was just- expecting somebody else, too. Erm- you can come in the van with me once I’ve found them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, there’s another group?”, the bald man asked.</p><p> </p><p>Only half-listening to their chatter, Hinata focused on craning his neck to search for any sign of the men he was supposed to be meeting. Why did it have to be so crowded, today of all days?</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, a voice piped up, and Hinata saw that it came from the shortest one of the quintet: The same man who had spoken initially. He had wide amber eyes and black spiked hair, except for a tuft at the front which appeared to have been bleached.</p><p> </p><p>“What is it now, Nishinoya?”, one of his companions sighed. From the tired look on his face, this was something that had happened several times.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t that the Power Curry guy? You remember, from those commercials?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata froze on his tiptoes, nearly overbalanced, and took a moment to right himself.</p><p> </p><p>Just as this Nishinoya had spoken, he had spotted them.</p><p> </p><p>There they were, through a gap in the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>His heart began to pound. All three of them were standing together. Towering above the crowds and instantly recognizable. Talking in a group. Iwaizumi was even smiling.</p><p> </p><p>Why were they talking?</p><p> </p><p>Of course they had known each other before, he reminded himself, but still. He couldn’t help feeling this would be so much easier if he wasn’t faced with meeting all three of them at once.</p><p> </p><p>Abandoning their other guests, Hinata dashed over to them, waving excitedly. So much for acting casual.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, he shouted more than said. “Are you for the Villa Buena Vista?”</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi’s smile turned on him. He was the only one whose face Hinata didn’t instantly know, although his features were somewhat familiar from the photo he had seen, warped somewhat by age. Yet it was unmistakably Iwaizumi: There was something in the shape of his eyes which was the same as from decades prior, and the lopsided grin and the spiky hair were almost the same.</p><p> </p><p>“Oikawa’s villa?”, Iwaizumi pressed, and Hinata remembered he was meant to speak.</p><p> </p><p>His mouth working, he glanced about. Kageyama was frowning at him, an almost puzzled expression narrowing his eyes. Ushijima simply stared, and Hinata couldn’t make out what he was thinking at all.</p><p> </p><p>Remembering himself, Hinata chirped; “Yes, Oikawa’s villa! Come on, I’ll take you up there.”</p><p> </p><p>Pivoting away, he began to head over to where the other group of men waited at the verge of the now-thinning crowd, watching with perplexed faces.</p><p> </p><p>He only took a few steps before rotating the rest of the way back to face the three men, noticing that nobody was following him.</p><p> </p><p>The three stared blankly at him, suitcases clenched in hands and backpacks firmly on shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on”, Hinata urged with a wobbly smile, wincing against the glare of the sun.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to admit”, Ukai said slowly, and his voice came out a deep rumble that exactly matched his stature, “I am rather confused right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not the only one.” Iwaizumi was still smiling slightly, but in his eyes there was a frown. “Was Oikawa too busy to come and meet us himself?”</p><p> </p><p>“I…” Oh no. Being faced with three tall, scary men was no good for Hinata’s heart. All three of them had nice arms, though, which was some consolation.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll explain when we get there?”, he finally squeaked out in a tiny voice.</p><p> </p><p>To his immense surprise, Ushijima picked his bag up and began marching over.</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi and Kageyama exchanged a glance that Hinata did not miss before following.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on here?”, Iwaizumi muttered, almost to himself yet still loud enough that Hinata could hear. “What is Oikawa getting us into now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows?”, asked Kageyama. “I knew coming here was a mistake…”</p><p> </p><p>They reached the other group. Hinata felt a little guilty at how awkward they seemed: He had abandoned them alone with no explanation. A few of them were giving him stares that were filled with questions.</p><p> </p><p>Trying to take charge of the situation once more, Hinata stepped away from both parties and looked between them as he spoke. “Sorry about the mix-up there, I forgot that I was supposed to be collecting two groups today. My apologies.”</p><p> </p><p>The man with the shaved head from the first group of guys raised one hand. “Hi. I’m Tanaka Ryuunosuke.”</p><p> </p><p>One of his companions tutted. “He didn’t ask.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry. I thought we were meant to introduce ourselves. Like on a tour.”</p><p> </p><p>The short man with the lighter tuft of hair at the front swiveled to look at Hinata, eyes wide in excitement. “Do you do tours?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had not expected that question. “I can- I can try to do a tour.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right now?”, asked Ushijima. Hinata could not tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuinely asking: His face was earnest, but there was a hint of humour in his tone.</p><p> </p><p>“No, not right now. Right now I’m going to take you all up to the villa and get you settled into your…” Swallowing, he pictured the outhouse. How would they react when they got there and saw it? “Your rooms. So let’s go! Everybody aboard the bus! Does anybody need help with their luggage?”</p><p> </p><p>It took a long time for them to get all of the stuff loaded, including the people, and Hinata thought that Ushijima nearly stood on Nishinoya at one point, but ultimately everyone was strapped in, and Hinata was up front driving. He blasted music to keep the atmosphere up, and to avoid thinking about what lay ahead.</p><p> </p><p>Now that he had a moment to pause and breathe, Hinata took the time to actually look at the men he had picked up. Iwaizumi was slouching forward in his seat with his elbows on his knees, watching out of the window. He wore a dark polo shirt not unlike the one in the picture Shigeru had shown him. Ushijima and Kageyama sat together although they did not speak. Kageyama’s shiny black bangs were clinging to his forehead with sweat: He was far overdressed for the climate they were in, in jeans and a thick sweater. He too was staring through the glass, whereas Ushijima sat turned into the aisle.</p><p> </p><p>Judging by looks alone, it would be impossible to tell which of them was Shigeru’s father. Hinata sure hoped the young man would be able to tell.</p><p> </p><p>Once they had parked up at the villa, he aided Tanaka and the others in unloading their luggage first. Iwaizumi also helped, reaching up to take bags down and setting them onto the gravel below, for which Hinata was grateful.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama appeared in the doorway, and Hinata offered to take his suitcase.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got it, thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring his clipped tone, Hinata nodded and dashed after Tanaka and the others. A moment later, he was skidding to a halt, stopping dead in his tracks.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was right there.</p><p> </p><p>Walking out of the main building and down the steps into the courtyard, chattering with Hanamaki.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had a mere second to be grateful that Oikawa was not looking in their direction when the man turned his head toward them and waved.</p><p> </p><p>“Are these are new guests?”, he cried.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, no. Had he not recognized them?</p><p> </p><p>Hinata clenched his fists, looking around to see the reactions to Oikawa’s appearance.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, he found himself staring into thin air.</p><p> </p><p>Huh?</p><p> </p><p>Glancing down, he spotted two pairs of shoes around the other side of the van. Shielded from view. As he stared, a third pair- Ushijima’s- joined them.</p><p> </p><p>Panicking, Hinata did the only thing that he could think to do: One fist shooting out, he latched onto the back of Tanaka’s soft shirt, leaned over, and hissed in his ear.</p><p> </p><p>“Distract him.”</p><p> </p><p>A large pair of chocolate eyes stared back at him. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>Desperately staring back into his eyes and increasingly aware of the pressure on both sides with the clattering footsteps behind and Oikawa approaching in front, he hissed; “I know you don’t know me and this doesn’t make any sense but please, please keep him busy for a minute. Please?”</p><p> </p><p>He had no idea how to take Tanaka’s mixed expression. The guest tilted his head back. “Hey, is there some kind of funny business going on here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll tell you everything later, I swear.”</p><p> </p><p>Glancing about, Hinata saw that Nishinoya was also staring. As he watched, the two swapped looks, and the shorter man gave Hinata a thumbs up and a grin in a move that Hinata privately thought made him look insanely cool.</p><p> </p><p>At the sound of a suitcase rolling around the other side of the van, he ran.</p><p> </p><p>Behind him, he could hear Tanaka yelling.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Are you the guy who runs this joint? How about you show us to our rooms?”</p><p> </p><p>Rounding the minibus, Hinata nearly collided with Kageyama.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop!”, he hissed, holding his hands out in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama leaped backward like a startled cat, tensing. “Huh?”</p><p> </p><p>From over his shoulder, Iwaizumi asked; “What now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shhhh!” Hinata flapped one hand at them. “Just- wait here a moment, please! The- the room isn’t ready yet!”</p><p> </p><p>“Room?”</p><p> </p><p>Heaving a sigh, Kageyama gripped the handle of his suitcase and tried to go around him, but Hinata caught his arm.</p><p> </p><p>The glare that he received would have killed him had he been a lesser man.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”</p><p> </p><p>He let go quickly. “Shhh! I’m sorry, but shhh!”</p><p> </p><p>They stared at Hinata as though he had lost his mind. He was beginning to wonder whether that was the case.</p><p> </p><p>Waiting until he heard the voices fade and a door close, he snuck around the side of the van. Oikawa and the others had vanished from the courtyard.</p><p> </p><p>He waited a second longer, just to be safe, before beckoning them to follow him and, as cheerily as he could manage, declared; “Come with me and I’ll check you in!”</p><p> </p><p>“Where are we going?”, Iwaizumi demanded from somewhere behind him. "Reception is that way."</p><p> </p><p>Hinata leaped down the steps to the outhouse without pause. They had to be fast, or someone might spot them. “To your room. Come on.” He attempted not to laugh as he added; "I've already got the key."</p><p> </p><p>Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Iwaizumi carrying his things down, closely followed by Ushijima. Kageyama stood at the top of the steps, nose wrinkled.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck is this?”, he snapped.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you know where you are going?”, asked Ushijima. He and Iwaizumi reached the bottom of the stairs and he fiddled with the wheels on his suitcase for a moment before looking up and at the outhouse, the furrow in his brow smoothing out. “This is Oikawa’s room.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Hinata nodded. “It used to be. This is accommodation now, too! I know it looks a little grim but it’s all been cleaned inside. And you have new furniture!” Well, that much was true.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama clattered down to the bottom of the steps with his own case behind them, and Hinata exhaled in relief. He had gotten them here without being found out: That was the first battle. Now the next battle would be convincing them to stay.</p><p> </p><p>As though he knew what Hinata was thinking, Kageyama complained; “I don’t want to stay here.”</p><p> </p><p>Wincing, Hinata tried to come up with a reply and found none. He had dealt with some rude guests and complaints before, and Oikawa had generally told him to let them have their way. But how could he now?</p><p> </p><p>So, instead, he decided to swing the door open and get them inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Where is-”, Iwaizumi began, and stopped.</p><p> </p><p>Standing just inside the door, close to the couch, was Shigeru. He smiled, a little shyly, and raised one hand.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata saw the expressions of each of their trio of guests shift abruptly, changing from irritation and confusion to curiosity and wonder.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you… Shigeru?”, Kageyama asked tentatively.</p><p> </p><p>The young man nodded. “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“You look so much like Tooru”, Iwaizumi said. He smiled fondly. “Well, except his hair.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru started, like he had only just remembered his hair was different. “Oh, this is new.” He laughed a little, self-consciously touching his scalp.</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of quiet. Hinata was glad that they were still stood outside: If they were all standing inside it might be a bit crowded.</p><p> </p><p>Ultimately, Iwaizumi broke the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Looking between Shigeru and Hinata he demanded, exasperated rather than unkind; “Look, where is Oikawa? I want to know what’s going on here.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru bit his lip.</p><p> </p><p>For some reason, Kageyama was staring at Hinata. Hinata made a face at him and shrugged, his way of saying: I don’t know, what are you watching me for?</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a lot to explain to you all. And I need you to listen. Please”, Shigeru pleaded.</p><p> </p><p>There was no outward response other than a couple of tilted heads and raised eyebrows.</p><p> </p><p>Seeming to take that as a sign to continue speaking, he drew in a deep breath and announced; “The letters you got asking you to come here were from me. Not my dad.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Ushijima’s eyebrows were so far up his forehead Hinata was surprised they didn’t fly off his face, although otherwise he appeared calm.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama gaped. “Huh?” Hinata was starting to wonder whether that was his favorite utterance, the amount he said it. Not that Hinata was complaining: The dark-haired man appeared satisfyingly gormless when he said it, too.</p><p> </p><p>“Please, please don’t be mad!”, begged Shigeru. “I wanted to do this as a surprise for my dad! He’s always done so much for me but he never takes time for himself, and he always talks about you three and the good old days, so I thought-” He spread his arms and let them drop to his sides. “What better time for a reunion than a wedding?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re joking”, Kageyama said flatly.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not”, Hinata told him, trying to hide the satisfaction in his voice at the other man’s distress.</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi looked over at him. “And you were in on this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. I’ve been helping Shigeru with this… Project.”</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re part of it, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“He just said that.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bristled under the steely glare he received.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could say anything else, however, Iwaizumi threw his hands into the air.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry”, he said, “but this is ridiculous.” He sounded reasonable rather than mad, his voice calm and quiet, and that made Hinata’s blood run cold: This was it, the end of the whole charade. Reasonable men in tough situations could be so convincing.</p><p> </p><p>A hushed tension filled the room. Everyone was staring at Iwaizumi.</p><p> </p><p>The man continued; “I understand why Oikawa might want to see me; I’ve always regretted not reaching out, too. But I know Oikawa. And he’s stubborn. So why the hell would he want to see Ushijima?” He turned to said man. “No offense, but he always hated you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Perhaps less so after you were gone”, said Ushijima, apparently taking said offence.</p><p> </p><p>He and Iwaizumi stared at each other, lips pursed and brows knitted together. The tension thickened.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama burst out, as though he could not quite believe it; “You’re actually thinking of <em>staying</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>He was staring intensely at Ushijima. The broad-shouldered man shrugged back at him.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re here now. I have arranged for things to be taken care of back at home.” Hinata shuddered, wondering how exactly he managed to make that phrase sounded so ominous. Probably the deep rumbling of his voice. “They are providing us with free accommodation, and this island is beautiful. I always meant to come back.” Ushijima turned to Hinata. “How often does the ferry come?”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s usually a morning one and an afternoon one each day”, he answered quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“If we decide to leave, we can catch another any time.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you’ll stay?”, Shigeru asked, his face open and earnest.</p><p> </p><p>Watching him, Hinata found himself searching for similarities between his features and those of the other men in the room. There were none that he was able to discern, which wasn’t that surprising; after all, Shigeru did take after Oikawa in terms of appearance.</p><p> </p><p>When Ushijima nodded, they looked to the other two men.</p><p> </p><p>“You know what, sure.” Iwaizumi’s shoulders sagged. “I’ve paid to come out here. And like I said, it’d be good to see Oikawa again. I’ve been meaning to get back in touch with him for a while. I’m staying.”</p><p> </p><p>One by one, they turned to stare expectantly at Kageyama.</p><p> </p><p>The man looked down at the hand which was clenched around the handle of his suitcase. He had long fingers, Hinata noticed: Strong fingers, setter hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine”, he said eventually, glancing back up and toward the other newcomers. “If you’re both staying, then I will, too. It could be fun, who knows?” A grin tugged his lips upward and revealed his teeth. It was mildly terrifying.</p><p> </p><p>He turned to Shigeru. “So, where are we staying?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just upstairs”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Upstairs?”, repeated Iwaizumi.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them looked about in confusion. Hinata pointed to the staircase set back in the wall, and felt the mood drop impossibly further as they laid eyes on it.</p><p> </p><p>Trying to remain upbeat, he swung his arms as if he were jogging. “Follow me, guys!”</p><p> </p><p>He was halfway up the stairs when he heard Shigeru begin shepherding them up and, when they emerged onto the second floor with their cases, it was with reluctant steps.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama’s stormy eyes wheeled and fixated straight on Hinata. “There’s a hole in the roof, isn’t there?”</p><p> </p><p>Ah. He had really hoped that they wouldn’t notice that.</p><p> </p><p>“Only a small one”, Shigeru assured. “We’re getting it fixed.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not all that bad.” Iwaizumi took a seat on the bed closest to them, rocking up and down slightly to test the mattress. Having apparently found it suitable, he folded his hands together and looked around. “I haven’t been here in so long. It’s strange. This really isn’t what I expected, but somehow you are exactly how I imagined you to be.”</p><p> </p><p>He was staring at Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“How you imagined me to be?”, the man questioned. He and Hinata swapped a swift glance.</p><p> </p><p>“After I read the letter”, clarified Iwaizumi, and Hinata watched the younger man sag minutely. “I couldn’t believe it, finding out that Oikawa had a son…”</p><p> </p><p>“Me either”, muttered Kageyama. He was kicking suspiciously at the throw Hinata had used to cover over the old boxes, and Hinata bit his tongue to avoid snapping at him. He was trying to be polite to their guests, still. There would be time for challenging Kageyama later, when Shigeru wasn’t around.</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima nodded. “It was very strange.”</p><p> </p><p>“And you say Oikawa has no idea?” Kageyama’s eyes bored into Shigeru.</p><p> </p><p>“Not at all. But he really is going to be happy to see you all!” Shigeru’s attempt at cheeriness was hollow at best.</p><p> </p><p>They seemed to sense it: Hinata felt the atmosphere drop down to the minus temperatures once again.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean, in a month, at the wedding?”, Kageyama spat.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru waved his hands in front of him as he responded. “There will be plenty for you to do to keep you o- busy until then. There are so many things to do here.”</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama opened his mouth once more; locked gazes with Iwaizumi; and closed it, clearly bottling up whatever it was he had been about to say. Hinata was surprised to see that he could hold his tongue, then, when he wanted to.</p><p> </p><p>Seemingly the only one unaffected by the frosty atmosphere, Ushijima asked; “Do you still have the nature reserve?”</p><p> </p><p>“We have a few.” Shigeru’s relief in answering that simple question was palpable.</p><p> </p><p>“My friend works at one of them!”, Hinata piped up, and they all looked at him as though only just remembering he was there. It was a little unnerving. He wondered whether he should mention Bokuto. Wait- did any of them know Bokuto? Bokuto knew Oikawa, after all, so it would make sense if they did. Better not, then. “I can take you there if you’d like, one day. And there are plenty of other cool things to do, hiking trails and bars and my other friends works at a nice café!”</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, Ushijima nodded. Hinata thought that, of the three of them, he was the hardest to get a grasp of: Kageyama was watching him in irritation, Iwaizumi with a faraway nostalgic look, but Ushijima was just blank, relaying his questions as though they were afterthoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Silence reigned for a moment. Kageyama set his bag down, seemingly claiming the bed in the middle and leaving Ushijima the bed nearest the tarp. Iwaizumi leaned back on his bed, spreading his arms and tilting his face upward.</p><p> </p><p>“Well…” Hinata shifted from foot to foot, suddenly awkward. “I’ll just leave you to it, then.”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru fixed him with a stare. “Hinata, you live here.”</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima cocked his head. “You are staying here as well?”</p><p> </p><p>“I live downstairs. So, if you guys need anything, or want to go anywhere, ask me. I have food, so you won’t starve…”</p><p> </p><p>Meeting three blank stares, he produced a thumbs up, as the short man- Nishinoya- had given him earlier, and then turned and began to race back down the stairs.</p><p> </p><p>Halfway down, something else occurred to him, and he turned back. “Oh, and don’t worry about the lock. If it breaks again and the goat comes in, I’ll fight it off.”</p><p> </p><p>He barely heard Iwaizumi’s mutter of; “… Goat?”</p><p> </p><p>And, as he descended to the bottom of the stairs, he heard Ushijima asking behind him; “But where is the bathroom?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HinaYachi friendship is my jam as I think you can probably tell from this fic :D also you have no idea how tempting it was to put Kiyoyachi in this fic because I do really love them buuuut... I have other plans sorry :( they'll be okay though :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Tanaka Is A Real Bro</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Who on earth was speaking, and why were they in Hinata’s home?</p><p> </p><p>Terrified, he reached out to grip his phone. Had someone broken in? Had the lock given way already?</p><p> </p><p>Blinking, he saw that when he opened his phone, the messaging app was still up on the screen. He must have fallen asleep while messaging back and forth with Yachi and Yamaguchi, he recalled from the night before. Yachi had been telling him how Saeko had kindly spent a long time trying to cheer her up on their walk home, and how she had promised Yachi she would swing by the café to say hi one day. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, had apparently been going crazy with work. Given that it was tourist season, there were many more people coming in, and there were a few displays that Shimada always set out at that time of the year which Yamaguchi helped him to arrange. He was sad that he had missed their night out. Hinata had promised him he could join the next one. He surprisingly had heard relatively little from upstairs.</p><p> </p><p>Upstairs. Ah. That had to be who it was in the living area.</p><p> </p><p>His fear settling down, Hinata pulled himself from his bed; checked that he was decent (an affirmative: he was wearing a hoodie and some old shorts from Brazil); and sleepily stumbled his way into the main area of the outhouse.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama and Ushijima were stood by the door, dressed in high-end athletic gear and stretching. As he approached, Kageyama turned toward the door.</p><p> </p><p>Panicked, Hinata raced over to them, knocking Kageyama’s hand away just as it reached for the door handle.</p><p> </p><p>“No!”</p><p> </p><p>At the same time, Kageyama and Ushijima echoed; “No?”</p><p> </p><p>“Absolutely not!” Hinata leaned against the door to keep it closed, almost afraid that if he moved away from it someone would come through. He felt it rattle slightly with the wind, the chill of the metal handle as his hand brushed it. It was going to be a cold morning. “You guys can’t be seen by Oikawa, remember? Which means no jogging.” He made a big ‘x’ with his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Kageyama narrowed his eyes. “You can’t keep us caged in like animals.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked from Kageyama’s frosty face to Ushijima’s blank stare and back again, re-evaluating. He fidgeted his feet against the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. Give me a minute and I’ll take you jogging. And then… I’ll find something for you to do later, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds good”, Ushijima answered immediately. Hinata gave a tiny sigh of relief.</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama deliberated for a moment, head tilted to one side.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, asked Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine. I’ll come with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You could’ve just said that.” Really; there was no need for him to be such a jerk about it. He hesitated. “What about Iwaizumi?”</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima glanced over at the stairs. “He’s still sleeping. I think he was very tired after the ferry ride.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright.” Hinata scribbled a quick note, in case the man awoke in the meantime, to let him know why he was alone and reminding him to stay inside.</p><p> </p><p>He did not bother to wash up: He would do that once they came back. Instead, he pulled on some appropriate clothing, slipped into some sneakers, and then stuck his head out of the door, scouting the area.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata checked his watch. Usually, around that time Oikawa would either be at breakfast or starting with cleaning the rooms. The coast was clear: Literally. While it was cold and windy, the skies were cloudless and he could see right out across the hills.</p><p> </p><p>Beckoning the other two men to follow him, he followed the steeper trail straight down the hills through the grass with the aim of getting out of sight of the villa as quickly as possible. Embarrassingly, he got a stitch in his side by the time they had hit the treeline. He was definitely out of shape.</p><p> </p><p>Yet, every time he dropped back a bit, Kageyama gave him a smirk that had him pressing on, feet pounding rhythmically across the uneven ground. He would not allow Kageyama to defeat him.</p><p> </p><p>It took less time than he had anticipated for them to reach the verge of the town, and so he carved sharply to the left, taking them down by the docks. Yachi, tidying up out front of the café, waved as he ran by, and he paused to wave back before realizing that the other two had passed behind him and darting after them.</p><p> </p><p>When he overtook them once more, he allowed them to continue along the beach for a couple of minutes before steering them back to the right, cutting through the town to form a loop back up to the villa via the main road. The wind rustled through his hair and his lungs felt so clear and sharp, full of cool sea air. Hinata knew he was exerting himself a little in sprinting like that, but it was worth it.</p><p> </p><p>They were going back into the stretch of road which passed through the forest and slowly began to incline upward when a shadow fell across his path. He blinked, swiveling his head: Kageyama was at his heels.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes tracked upward, from Kageyama’s swiftly alternating feet to his near-perfect running form to the creepy grin which revealed sharp teeth. He was looking straight back at Hinata, unblinking.</p><p> </p><p>Was he trying to get past?</p><p> </p><p>Did he think he could <em>beat</em> Hinata?</p><p> </p><p>Fired up, Hinata pushed on even faster, drawing in harsh breaths now. Kageyama too increased his pace.</p><p> </p><p>He gritted his teeth, putting in as much effort as he could. Going uphill was even harder, and he was gasping by the time they reached the top by the outhouse. Kageyama ran neck and neck with him. Every time Hinata looked over at his challenger, he saw that his jaw was clenched.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata staggered down onto his knees as soon as they reached the brow of the hill where the outhouse stood, Kageyama doubling over against the side of the building a second later.</p><p> </p><p>Admittedly, even as he fought for breath, Hinata thought that had been pretty fun. He had not run like that for a long, long time: It was entirely different than the jogging he had encouraged Asahi to do the other day.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, Kageyama had to ruin it by opening his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“I won.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Hinata flipped onto his front and scrambled to sit up, pushing himself up on his hands and knees. “No, you didn’t! You can’t win jogging!”</p><p> </p><p>“I ran further than you, so I won.” That smug, superior smile was so annoying.</p><p> </p><p>“You stopped first, though. I could have kept going but I saw you stop.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bullshit.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes- wait, where is Ushijima?”</p><p> </p><p>They both froze, staring back down the way they had come. There was no sign of Ushijima, anywhere.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, no. How could Hinata have lost him? He had been keeping up just fine the last time he had seen, moving with powerful, long strides and a determined set to his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on.” Kageyama took a few steps past Hinata, not looking in his direction. It made a change from being glared at, he supposed. “We’d better find him. You’re the one who was worried about us being seen, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Without pause, he began a light jog, retracing their path with his arms tucked into his sides.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Hinata sprang to his feet. “Wait up!”</p><p> </p><p>They found Ushijima as he was emerging from the trees.</p><p> </p><p>“I wondered where the two of you had gone”, he commented lightly. To Hinata’s astonishment, despite his brisk pace, he did not even sound out of breath. “Kageyama, just because we are retired now, that does not excuse poor pacing. In fact, it further necessitates it.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata was not quite sure what exactly that meant, but he thought perhaps Ushijima was telling them to pace themselves; which he supposed was fair. He was relieved to see that Kageyama also appeared somewhat confused.</p><p> </p><p>They trailed after Ushijima back up the cliff, Hinata’s heart spiking slightly when he saw the van driving past down the dirt track: Yet it was only Watari at the wheel. He waved and gave Hinata a wide-eyed look as he passed.</p><p> </p><p>This walk was far more unpleasant than the jogging: His lungs felt open and clear, but that only served to invite the cold wind, and he hunched in on himself as it buffeted against his body.</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima had not waited for them, Hinata noticed when the outhouse was in sight. He was nowhere to be seen, although he had left the door open. Hinata supposed it was a polite gesture, but it was letting all of the cold in.</p><p> </p><p>He looked back down the way they had come. The grassy stalks on the hills waved back and forth, back and forth. It was like the wind couldn’t make its mind up. Even further below, the net of the volleyball court billowed and bent this way and that.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!”, Hinata burst out, remembering what he had been meaning to do. He looked up at Kageyama. “I challenge you to a game of beach volleyball! At the bay down there!”</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama’s gaze followed the direction his finger pointed in, to the small court. He stared for a long time without saying anything, and then lifted his eyes toward Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata held his breath. This was it. Was Kageyama going to accept his challenge? Would he make another idiotic comment about beach volleyball not being real volleyball?</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama shrugged. “Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>He walked past Hinata, bounding the last several steps and going inside.</p><p> </p><p><em>Okay</em>? Was that it? <em>Okay</em>?</p><p> </p><p>Shivering at a sudden gust of wind, Hinata hurried after him.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was somewhat less cold later on that day, under the full brunt of the sun’s glare and shielded from the wind by the buildings they passed.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata had told Shigeru and Watari, as they attempted to speedrun the cleaning of the rooms that morning, about the jogging incident. Shortly after he had returned to the outhouse, finding Iwaizumi now up and fully dressed alongside the other two, the younger men had arrived and announced they would be taking them on a short tour of the local town to alleviate their boredom.</p><p> </p><p>So far, that tour had only consisted of a walk along the shoreline and then visiting a supermarket. It was not Shimada Mart: Hinata felt disloyal to the brand, yet at the same time he was concerned about the idea that Takinoue may somehow recognize one of them and let their presence slip, and so had suggested elsewhere. They each now carried grocery bags, full of items like shower gel, shampoo, and various bleaches and bathroom cleaners. Supposedly they had been unimpressed with the state of the bathroom that morning; in particular, that it was outside. Hinata did not see how bleach was going to solve that, but he would welcome them to try.</p><p> </p><p>The route they were taking through town was meandering, and not really a proper tour. Shigeru led them down various smaller streets, occasionally merging onto one of the bigger and busier routes. Every now and then one of their visitors would pause to point out a bar they had once visited, or a store which used to be a bar, or a bar which had sprung up where there had not been one previously. Hinata wondered how much exactly of their previous visit involved drinking, and how much they expected this one to involve. It would potentially explain a few things.</p><p> </p><p>There was really no reason to worry about being spotted, Hinata wanted to reassure Shigeru. Oikawa had said he was going to be on reception all day and Kyoutani, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa were going to be continuing with gardening in an attempt to make the place look ‘spry in time for the summer’, as they had declared, alongside the general daily cleaning and handiwork.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata joined the small group of Shigeru, Ushijima, and Iwaizumi who powered ahead after they exited the store, leaving Watari behind to deal with Kageyama.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what do you do, Shigeru?”, Iwaizumi asked as they wandered the streets. “Are you studying?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru waved one hand. If Hinata didn’t know him, he might not have noticed the nervous, nearly defensive edge to his tone. It was barely there, but it was present. “Oh, no. I went to high school a couple of years ago, but that’s all. I mostly just stay and help out at the villa. I like it here.”</p><p> </p><p>“It truly is a beautiful place”, Ushijima agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly. And my family are here, and Kenta- Kyoutani- that’s my fiancé- too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your fiancé?” Hinata was tempted to laugh: It sounded like Ushijima had only just remembered that Shigeru was supposed to be getting married. He decided to remain quiet instead, letting Shigeru chat with the older men.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi queried; “What does he do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Pretty much the same.” Shigeru’s smile softened as he spoke, his voice growing less shaky. “He works at the villa too. He’s been doing repairs and things.”</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima and Iwaizumi nodded without comment.</p><p> </p><p>They turned onto the main road, and Hinata saw that Shigeru was already leading them back toward the villa. They might not be too happy when they figured it out, after all of their complaining about being cooped up; but he could understand that Shigeru was nervous about being outside with them for too long, for fear of being spotted.</p><p> </p><p>He shuddered when they made their way under the trees: Without the warmth of the sun, it felt even colder out.</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi continued the soft interrogation. “So, is it just the five of you, up at the villa? You, Oikawa, Kyoutani, Watari, and Hinata?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no. Hanamaki and Matsukawa, too. They’re kind of like-”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru had not finished his sentence when the other two men made small noises at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>“They are still there?”, Ushijima demanded, whereas Iwaizumi chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course they are”, the coach sighed.</p><p> </p><p>Tipping his head, Shigeru asked; “Ah, you knew them, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little. They could be…” He paused, seeming to struggle for the correct phrase. “Fun.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata swapped an amused look with Shigeru. “That sounds about right.”</p><p> </p><p> Ushijima frowned. “I did not always find them very funny.”</p><p> </p><p>“What about…” Iwaizumi readjusted the handles of the bag he was carrying. “Your other parent?”</p><p> </p><p>Although his legs continued to work, his arms continued to swing at his side, Hinata felt himself freeze up internally. Shit. Had he caught on already? He did not know much about Iwaizumi, but he seemed sharp. If any of them were going to work it out, Hinata suspected it might be him.</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru kept his cool, however.</p><p> </p><p>“I never knew him”, he said, voice light. “Dad didn’t say much about him. He raised me alone.”</p><p> </p><p>They seemed to accept that for an answer, humming. Ushijima changed the topic, asking Shigeru a question about whether they still ran diving classes at the villa.</p><p> </p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Hinata noticed that Watari had caught up to them and that Kageyama was still hanging back, walking alone at the rear of the group. He made the decision to stay back himself, not trusting Kageyama not to break away from them and get lost.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey. Are you tired from this morning?”, he asked as he fell into step with the black-haired man. He figured that was what had to be up: Hinata himself was just starting to feel the effects, his side twinging.</p><p> </p><p>“No. A little stiff, though.” Kageyama stretched one leg briefly, flexing and unflexing his foot, and then shook his head. “I’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looked up at him, surprised that he was speaking so calmly. He actually seemed willing to have an actual conversation, in comparison to his previous snippiness. Maybe he had just been thrown off by the conversation, which was understandable. Hinata had no idea how he would react if he were the one in Kageyama’s place.</p><p> </p><p>He opened his mouth to speak, only Kageyama got there first.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not even sure why I’m still here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Never mind: It looked like he was still a typical downer. “Why not leave then?”</p><p> </p><p>Kageyama scowled down at him. “Isn’t that a rude thing for you to say to a guest?”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t mean it like that. It was a real question.” Hinata blinked. “Why are you staying, then?”</p><p> </p><p>The other man’s gaze settled on the group ahead of them, considering, and then glanced about the street, at the shops and cafes they were passing.</p><p> </p><p>“I think…”, he said eventually, “I just want something to do. Now that I don’t have volleyball anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s heart sped up a little. That was something that was so incredibly familiar to him. “Huh.”</p><p> </p><p>“And it is good being with Ushijima again. We were teammates on and off over our careers. He’s a straightforward guy. I know that frustrates some people but, for me, I always found it easy to get along with him.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata wanted to say that he already knew that they had been teammates, except he held his tongue. He wasn’t entirely sure whether Kageyama knew how involved in volleyball he was, and he didn’t want to get into the debate that was sure to ensue as soon as Kageyama realized he was a beach volleyball player; although it may not be as bad as he expected, given his earlier acceptance of Hinata’s challenge. Still, now might not be the best time to test that.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, dumbass”, Kageyama’s voice cut through his thoughts. “We’ve fallen behind.”</p><p> </p><p>Jolting, Hinata saw that they had. The others were several yards ahead.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata turned his head, locking gazes with Kageyama, and for a split second, from that evil grin and the glint in his eye, he felt he knew exactly what the other man was thinking.</p><p> </p><p>A second later they took off, jogging to catch up to the others and jostling each other along the way. Hinata whooped as he fell back in step with Watari, earning a nasty look from Kageyama. The others were nonplussed, continuing in their conversations.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m curious”, Iwaizumi was saying, “Why June 10<sup>th</sup>? For the wedding?”</p><p> </p><p>Shigeru shrugged. “I don’t really know. I think we just hoped it would mean there was good weather. Of course, dad thinks it’s lucky or something.” He rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?”, asked Watari. “What’s so strange about it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing.” Iwaizumi shook his head. “It’s just…”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?”</p><p> </p><p>“The 10<sup>th</sup> of June is my birthday.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>“Hmmmm…”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata rifled through the kitchen cupboards, occasionally humming to himself as he went. He dropped a few bottled drinks into the backpack at his feet; went to help himself to a loaf of bread; and hesitated before stretching his hand to the back of the shelves and pulling a loaf from there instead. It would be less likely that Oikawa noticed that way, after all.</p><p> </p><p>It had come to Hinata’s attention after they had gotten settled in, that there was a severe lack of food in the outhouse. If it had just been himself, he could have eaten for a week: However, having a volleyball coach and two former volleyball players staying with him meant that they were severely short of nourishment. Especially since, as he was well aware, athletes could be fussy with what they were putting into their bodies. Apparently, Hinata’s supply of instant ramen was not nearly satisfying enough, and certain people did not want to wait around while he went back down to the town to buy food.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, that could all have been settled had their problem been noticed before they went shopping earlier. Hindsight was a bittersweet thing.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t blame them for their irritation, exactly. Being told you couldn’t go out to eat in case someone spotted you had to be hard, and he could imagine how infuriating it must be to be kept cramped in a tiny room when the wonders of the island lay all around them.</p><p> </p><p>It was something he felt, too: If he had been able to plan his own day, he would have spent the afternoon playing volleyball down at the beach with Asahi and the others. He wondered whether they had waited for him or searched for him at all. Perhaps they had asked Yachi if she knew where he had gone. Or maybe they thought he was just off work that day. That thought saddened him: He hoped they knew that spending time with them was not just due to his helping Oikawa around the villa. He was genuinely enjoying their company, as well.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of what he had wanted to do, he had spent the evening playing card games with Iwaizumi and Kageyama while Ushijima, who had initially been the one to suggest the games, fell asleep on one end of the couch and began to snore, and listened to Kageyama’s various complaints about the paltry offering of a dinner he had for them with a level of patience that deserved an award.</p><p> </p><p>And so, Hinata had snuck across to the kitchen of the main building in the dark, once he was sure the kitchen and dining room would be empty, to add to their stockpile with a few additional items. Just things that they wouldn’t miss in the main part of the villa, items that they had plenty of. Anything that he could add to their meals. Of course, he would replace them the next time he went into town; yet he figured that, for now, there would be no harm done. Oikawa had told him in multiple instances to help himself, after all.</p><p> </p><p>Now, what else would they want to eat?</p><p> </p><p>Squinting, Hinata leaned in to inspect some of the jars lining the shelves. There were many different varieties of pickled fruits, some of which bobbed or sloshed about within the glass containers as Hinata’s hand shifted them, searching.</p><p> </p><p>There was only one jar of umeboshi, so he resisted the temptation to grab that. It was likely out of date, too; it wasn’t really the time of year for umeboshi just yet.</p><p> </p><p>Digging further, he discovered several identical containers of takuan.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmmm.”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded to himself, turning to place it into the bag. Surely that would satisfy them; having something to go alongside their meals. Hinata had even takuan was good for digestion, so-</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing sneaking around in here?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata almost jumped out of his skin. He fumbled the jar, envisioning it dropping to the ground and smashing, only to luckily catch it between his thumb and forefinger.</p><p> </p><p>Exhaling a minute sigh of relief, he looked up.</p><p> </p><p>The man with the shaved head, the one he had picked up yesterday alongside his new trio of roommates, was leaning in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. Hinata thought his name was maybe Tanaka, but he couldn’t quite recall.</p><p> </p><p>“I work here”, Hinata replied flatly, before tilting his head. “And why are <em>you </em>here?”</p><p> </p><p>The guy shrugged. “I was looking for the bathroom and I heard someone humming from this big empty room.” He gestured to the dining room behind him. “It kind of freaked me out so I came to look.”</p><p> </p><p>“The bathrooms for the upstairs rooms are upstairs. And I’m just… Working.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your eyelid is twitching”, Tanaka pointed out, seemingly genuinely concerned. “Are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Yes. I’m great!” Hinata silently willed his face to keep still, freezing and locking his smile into place.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright then. What was all that about yesterday? You said you were going to tell me.”</p><p> </p><p>He decided to play dumb. “What was what about?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know what!” Tanaka sounded indignant yet, when he spoke again, he had mercifully lowered his voice. “When you asked me to distract your boss. You were hiding those guys, right? Who are they?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata couldn’t blame him for being curious. In the same situation, he likely would be as well. He would have to tell him now, too: After all, Tanaka could easily go to Oikawa or one of the others with his questions.</p><p> </p><p>Biting his cheek, he looked past Tanaka to make sure that nobody else was nearby.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t tell you here”, he said. “Just in case someone overhears something they weren’t supposed to.” Hinata truly didn’t intend for that to sound as dark as it did.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t seem to bother Tanaka, which was unsurprising. He seemed to be the type of guy who would have been a delinquent back in high school.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, come show me where the bathroom is and then we can talk in my room”, he told Hinata. Upon seeing the shocked look on Hinata’s face, he expanded; “My friends are all hanging out there! I’m sure they’d want to hear this too.”</p><p> </p><p>Internally Hinata groaned. His shoulders slumped and he muttered; “Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>He picked up his backpack to follow Tanaka, wincing at the clinking sounds that came from inside.</p><p> </p><p>They scaled the stairs together and Hinata waited outside the bathroom while Tanaka did his business. The room Tanaka then led Hinata to was one of the bigger ones on the second floor, one that had three single beds. Inside, Hinata dimly recognized the other four men who had arrived with Tanaka: Nishinoya lay on one of the beds, his feet kicking up in the air as he stared at his phone. The other three sat on another bed together, talking.</p><p> </p><p>Each of them eyed Hinata with interest as he entered.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, you got lucky”, Hinata commented, feeling a little self-conscious as he swept his hand about to indicate the space before him. “You got one of the nicest rooms here.”</p><p> </p><p>“More than lucky. My sister knows some of the people here; she asked for a nice room for us.”</p><p> </p><p>His mouth fell open as he stared up at Tanaka. “Wait a second- are you Saeko’s brother?!”</p><p> </p><p>How had he not thought of that sooner? He should have known as soon as Tanaka had said his name; but he had been so distracted at the time that he had barely paid any attention to it.</p><p> </p><p>The man cocked his head. “Do you know my sister?”</p><p> </p><p>“How is she?”, the man with the blond tuft cried, dropping his phone onto the bedsheets to tune into the conversation.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s fine, I think. We were drinking together the other night! She was trying to cheer up my friend!”</p><p> </p><p>“Cool! It’s her birthday today, which is one of the reasons I came to visit. And I dragged these guys along-”, Tanaka indicated to the others around him, “because they really needed a vacation.”</p><p> </p><p>“True”, one of them, a man with dark hair and glasses, nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“I was doing alright”, the man beside him, a dark-haired man in loose clothing with neatly-combed hair, protested.</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka shook his head. “You work too hard, Ennoshita. Just relax for once.”</p><p> </p><p>“Being on an island with you is supposed to be relaxing?”</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka tilted his chin up and glared but did not reply.</p><p> </p><p>“So, anyway”, Nishinoya said, jumping up onto his knees and bouncing on the mattress in a way that made Hinata wince, anticipating broken floorboards. “Tell us! What was all that about earlier?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata shuffled his feet. “I- I don’t know if I can… It’s not really my secret to tell, and I can’t have it getting around. It’s important.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”, demanded Tanaka. "Are you saying you don’t trust us now? After you asked for my help earlier?”</p><p> </p><p>Nishinoya folded his arms. “It’s despicable, Ryu.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata argued; “No- I-”</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, leave him alone”, muttered Ennoshita.</p><p> </p><p>“We won’t tell anybody, I swear!”, Tanaka cried. He clasped his hands together as if in prayer. “And we’re not going to be here long!”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe it’s something we can help you with?”, Nishinoya suggested, settling his chin onto his hand.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata hesitated. Having someone else around the villa who was in the know- and who could potentially help him distract Oikawa, Hanamaki and Matsukawa if necessary- would be helpful. And he <em>had</em> said he would tell them.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he decided to give them a basic run-down of the situation.</p><p> </p><p>“You have to promise you won’t tell anybody. Not even your sister.”</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka saluted him. “Of course!”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re actually telling them?”, one of the trio on the other bed- a man with light sand-colored hair- spoke up. While it appeared that the three of them were not paying much attention to what was going on, Hinata noted that they had halted their conversation and were keenly listening.</p><p> </p><p>“So…” He tried to find a way to word it that would not sound weird, only to discover that such a thing would be impossible. Instead, he decided to bend the truth a little. “One of the guys who works here… Has found out that one of those three guys could be his father.”</p><p> </p><p>Nishinoya gasped. “Which one?”</p><p> </p><p>“He doesn’t know. It’s complicated. That’s why all three of them are here. Anyway, he’s getting married soon and wants his dad there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit, this is juicy.”</p><p> </p><p>Ennoshita asked; “Why not just take a paternity test?” His tone was clipped, yet his eyes shone with interest.</p><p> </p><p>“None of them <em>know</em> they could be his father”, explained Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, and what would be the fun in that?” Tanaka pivoted to grin at the trio seated on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>“So why did they come?”, the sandy-haired man next to Ennoshita enquired.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata paused, thinking over his response, before settling on once again twisting the situation. He felt a little bit of guilt, but he couldn’t afford for them to guess who was really involved. “He invited them to his wedding and told them that- that his mother invited them.”</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka gasped as his friend had done a minute before. “Do they want to reconnect with her?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe. I don’t know. I think some of the relationships sort of didn’t end that well or had some unfinished business, or perhaps they have memories here, and-” Recognising that he was oversharing, Hinata cut himself off, slapping his hands over the cheeks and instructing himself to stop speculating. That would do nobody any good. Ignoring their confused stares, he continued; “Anyway, they’re here now. And they’re staying with me, in the outhouse.”</p><p> </p><p>“That little hut down there?”</p><p> </p><p>Ennoshita was sitting around now, fully paying attention, eyebrows raised. “You live there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I live there.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a collective exhalation, and a beat of silence.</p><p> </p><p>“So, why did you have to hide it from that guy? Oikawa?”, Nishinoya asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, he doesn’t know they’re staying with me”, said Hinata. “You can’t say anything to him; only some of us are in on this plan.”</p><p> </p><p>“What plan? It sounds to me as though they’ve just been invited here and, without a paternity test, there’s no way of really knowing.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata bit his cheek. He had a point. However, he had faith in Shigeru to try and come up with something. He was sure that, even from today, he was beginning to work it out.</p><p> </p><p>“I think he’s working on that”, he stated slowly. “He did mention getting one- but only when he thinks he knows and is ready to tell them the truth. You know, that they might be his father.” That much was true, at least: Shigeru had mentioned it the other night, at Watari’s insistence.</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka and Nishinoya locked eyes, and Hinata felt a thrill of fear. Would they agree to go along with this? They weren’t going to tell Oikawa, were they?</p><p> </p><p>Before he could ask, they burst out into hysterical guffaws. Nishinoya clutched his stomach, rolling about, and Tanaka moved forward to collapse onto the bed beside him, chuckling.</p><p> </p><p>As the absurdity of what was happening struck Hinata, he began to giggle, too. They could probably get him into a lot of trouble for illegally having the men on Oikawa’s property; he was glad they seem amused instead.</p><p> </p><p>Once they had quietened down, he said; “Thank you, by the way. I forgot to say before. Thank you for helping me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not a problem.” Tanaka wiped at one eye. “I’m just cool like that.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond-haired man had not joined in the laughter, but he had grinned as he watched them rolling about. Now he turned that grin to Hinata and called out; “Yeah, Tanaka is a real bro. You can always count on him.”</p><p> </p><p>Tanaka mimed high-fiving him with both hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait”, gasped Nishinoya, sitting bolt upright and looking around, “so <em>was</em> that the Power Curry guy? He might be this guy’s dad?” He let out another giggle.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t he too young to be a dad?”, Tanaka asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Kageyama Tobio”, said Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>They both looked at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that his name?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to look him up.”</p><p> </p><p>He watched as the blond man leaped up to join them on their bed, the three of them crowding about the phone.</p><p> </p><p>Ennoshita made eye contact with Hinata. With a wry smile, he indicated the vacant bed closest to the door and said; “You may as well sit down.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata did so, stretching his legs out. They were really beginning to ache from his run that morning. He should have stretched first.</p><p> </p><p>Yet he couldn’t deny the amusement he felt as Tanaka read out loud the description one website had of Kageyama- presumably written earlier on in his career- as a selfish and bitter player.</p><p> </p><p>He found himself sincerely hoping, for Shigeru’s sake, that Kageyama was not the father.</p>
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